Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers who are to be redeployed from September, 2012 onwards, on a temporary capacity, to cover teachers on maternity or sick leave. [38463/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The details of the redeployment arrangements are published on my Department's website. The fundamental purpose of redeployment is to ensure surplus permanent teachers are redeployed into vacancies in other schools. My Department does not provide for the redeployment of retired teachers.

Following the completion of the redeployment process, all remaining short term vacancies are filled in accordance with procedures outlined in Circular 31/2011 which provides for a staged approach for recruitment of teachers depending on a teacher's qualifications and registration status with the Teaching Council. These procedures require schools at primary and post-primary level to maintain a list of appropriately qualified registered teachers who notify the school that they are available for substitute teaching at short notice. Where a substitute teacher is needed at short notice and advertising for the position is not feasible, the school must contact a person on the list established by the school or use a national service such as SubSearch or TextaSub.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures published under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998. This process is still on-going for the current school year and the number of retired teachers employed to cover substitute vacancies for the 2012/13 school year is not yet available.