Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 22: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a report into the staffing levels of professional development service for teachers. [2965/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department has allocated a total of 170 teachers to teacher professional development of which 87 are employed full time in the Professional Development Service for Teachers. Teachers are engaged on a secondment basis from their schools and reviewed on an annual basis. These arrangements provide flexibility and ensure that the needs and priorities of the service are met while also allowing for the career development of individual teachers. While the overall resources allocated to teacher professional development have declined in line with recent budgetary adjustments, additional resources were secured last year to support the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and other priorities. PDST staffing is augmented by the availability of serving teachers who work on a part time basis as required. My Department is currently reviewing the PDST to ensure that its structures are fit for purpose in the context of the Government reform agenda.