Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Teaching Council has a wide range of statutory functions and objects, which include the regulation of the profession, the promotion of teaching as a profession, the maintenance and improvement of the standards of programmes of teacher education and training and the professional conduct of teachers and the promotion of the continuing professional development of teachers.

In carrying out its functions, the Teaching Council aims to promote and maintain the highest standards of teaching, learning and professional conduct in our schools. Since its establishment, much work has been done by the Council in the furtherance of its various aims, including, but not limited to, the establishment of the register of teachers, the publication of Codes of Professional Conduct for Teachers, the review of programmes of initial teacher education, preparation for commencement of the remaining sections of the Teaching Council Act 2001, and preparation of advice on a range of teacher education matters. Further detail on some of these follows:

In common with most self-regulated professions, the Teaching Council has established and maintains a register of its members. Currently, over 70,000 teachers are registered. The register stands as a verifiable expression of the standard of teaching, knowledge, skill and competence that teachers aspire to have and maintain. To be registered, a teacher must have attained a satisfactory level of professional qualification and training. Only persons who reach these standards will be able to work as teachers in State funded positions, except in limited time bound circumstances.

The Teaching Council has a statutory role in relation to the review of standards required for entry into the teaching profession, including the standards of knowledge, skill and competence required for the practice of teaching. The recent review of eight programmes of initial teacher education by the Teaching Council has provided an opportunity for the Higher Education Institutions concerned to demonstrate that they offer quality programmes of teacher education, and for the Teaching Council to make appropriate recommendations for the improvement of these programmes.

The Council recently published its policy on the continuum of Teacher Education, which was developed following significant consultation with stakeholders in education. The policy reiterates the critical objectives of promoting quality teaching and learning, as well as the centrality of the core values and professional commitments of the teaching profession. The policy will serve as the Council's framework for its functions relating to teacher education.

The Council recently also published criteria and guidelines for initial teacher education providers. These form a bridge between the Council's policy and the development and implementation of reconceptualised programmes of initial teacher education in Higher Education Institutions, providing clarity for HEIs to enable them to ensure that their programmes meet the Council's accreditation requirements.