Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 163: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the application of the public sector recruitment embargo to teaching posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12802/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies are being filled in accordance with published Department criteria.

However, the process of allocating teaching resources to schools takes place in the context of the EU/IMF Programme of Support for Ireland and the Public Service Agreement 2010/2014. It is necessary for my Department to exercise additional control and reporting measures this year to ensure that the numbers of teachers employed in schools is consistent with the EU/IMF Programme of Support for Ireland.

This requires that all permanent and fixed term positions are in the first instance made available to those surplus teachers with either permanent contracts or contracts of indefinite duration. The purpose of these changes is to ensure all surplus teachers are absorbed into vacancies that exist in other schools. Flexible redeployment arrangements are required in order to ensure all surplus permanent teachers are redeployed into vacancies. The country simply cannot afford to have surplus teachers in a school while permitting recruitment to take place in another school. The Government is committed to ensuring the delivery of frontline services is protected as much as possible in our education system.

It is the intention of the Department to restore recruitment from fixed-term teachers on the main panels, supplementary panels or public advertisement at the earliest possible opportunity, after all the surplus permanent teachers have been redeployed. Through these redeployment measures, the Government is committed to ensuring the delivery of frontline services is protected in as much as possible in our education system.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) has been placed on the supplementary teaching panel for County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12805/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The main focus in the Teacher Allocation Section within my Department at present is the redeployment panels for permanent teachers. The Department will consider queries in relation to supplementary panel rights for fixed-term teachers, including the teacher referred to by the deputy, when the initial work on panels for redeployment of surplus permanent teachers is completed. Such teachers are advised to contact my Department at Primaryallocations@education.gov.ie.

Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Galway will receive a teacher under special alleviation measures following from the reduction of resource teachers for Travellers. [12812/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision to withdraw Resource Teacher for Travellers was taken by the previous Government as part of the last Budget. The requirement to make expenditure savings and to ensure that staffing numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework prevent me from re-visiting this decision.

Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/Teaching Hours for Traveller pupils will be withdrawn, effective from 31st August 2011. Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching should receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. All schools should select students for learning support on the basis of priority of need.

Limited alleviation or adjustment measures are being provided to assist schools that have high concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by Resource Teachers for Travellers.

In respect of DEIS, (Developing Equality of Opportunity in Schools), Traveller enrolments have been included in the valid enrolment for the purpose of allocating additional staffing under DEIS from the 2011/12 school year. The schools involved have already received their staffing allocations for next year.

For schools other than DEIS schools in receipt of enhanced pupil teacher ratios, alleviation measures are being provided to assist schools with high concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by RTT posts. Any alleviation measures must be considered in the context of the limited resources that are available to my Department. As such, alleviation measures are being concentrated on schools which had 33 or more pupils supported by RTT posts, based on 2009/10 school year enrolments.

With regard to schools which have less than 33 Traveller pupils previously supported by RTT posts, within the context of the limited resources which are available and taking into account Government policy and the Employment Control Framework, my Department will consider whether further limited alleviation measures can be provided for schools for whom it can be demonstrated that they have been disproportionately effected by the alleviation/adjustment measures outlined above, in comparison to schools of a similar size and circumstances.

I understand my Department will be finalising the limited alleviation measures for schools that are losing RTT posts. The position of the school referred to by the Deputy is being considered by my Department and the school will be notified as soon as is possible.