Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views that sufficient numbers of teachers will be provided over the next five years to meet the increase on the number of school places provided for in the new school building programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15319/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Teaching resources are allocated to schools on a school year basis. Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies are being filled in accordance with published Department criteria.

Unlike in other countries, our school-going population is rising rapidly. Places have to be provided for the extra 70,000 pupils arriving in our schools in the next six years and teachers must be appointed to teach them. As Minister for Education and Skills, I will ensure every child has a physical place in which to go to school. The Deputy may be interested to note that, despite the need to reduce teacher numbers and the other spending reductions that have been made, and nothwithstanding the various budgetary measures at both primary and post primary level in recent years by the last Government and the current Government last December, the overall number of teachers employed in our schools at the end of 2011 are just marginally different to the numbers for 2008. This point is too easily forgotten by commentators when discussing the resources available for education.

The detailed staffing arrangements for the 2012/13 school year are set out in Department Circular 0007/12 at primary level and in Department Circular 0009/2012 at post-primary level. The Government has prioritised, as best as possible, the filling of front-line posts in the Education sector within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework. This is all the more challenging to achieve at a time of rapidly increasing enrolments in our schools.

The number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund in schools in the coming years is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of budgetary requirements and meeting our obligations under the EU/IMF Programme.