Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will instruct the Teaching Council to recognise degrees in engineering, which are by their very nature dominated by mathematics, for the purposes of registration of mathematics teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37000/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The statutory responsibility for the determination of the education, training and qualifications required for a person to be registered as a teacher rests with the Teaching Council. Therefore I do not have a direct role in the matter. The requirements for registration with the Teaching Council are set out in its 2009 Registration Regulations which are available on its website www.teachingcouncil.ie. Currently, there is a large range of engineering courses which are recognised for the purposes of the teaching of mathematics/applied mathematics. However, the experience of the Council is that many engineering programmes cover mathematical concepts in an engineering context and may not include, in sufficient depth, areas that are important for teaching purposes. A person who wishes to be registered as a teacher on the basis of qualifications in engineering should seek the advice of the Teaching Council.