Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will explain the purpose of the €11 million that has been generated as surplus by the Teaching Council; the amount of interest this accrues on an annual basis; the matters on which the interest is spent; the number of teachers this might pay per annum and the reason the Teaching Council accumulates such large sums of money. [25957/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Teaching Council's annual accounts for 2011 show a surplus of c. €11m. Of this amount, €4m has been set aside by the Council to cater for contingencies. Interest on funds in 2011 amounted to €252,000 (2010 - €146,000). This interest forms part of the overall income of the Council.

The surplus finance will be used to meet the increased costs of the Council as it expands its role. As is often the case when legislation is introduced, it is on a phased basis. Some of the main functions of the Teaching Council have not yet been commenced. For example, in relation to Fitness to Teach, while this function is not yet commenced, there has been a huge amount of preparatory work done in advance so that the Council will be in a position to undertake this work when the relevant legislative provision is made. This function, along with others such as Probation, Induction and Continuous Professional Development will lead to a significant increase in Council expenditure and staffing needs in the future. I hope to be in a position to commence a number of further sections of the Act within the next 12 months. The Deputy will be aware that I have publically indicated my support for a recent decision by the Teaching Council to reduce the cost of its registration fee from €90 to €65.

The average cost of hiring a teacher is approximately €60,000.