Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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371. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he will take during the next academic year to ensure that all teaching positions in primary schools whether temporary, permanent or substitute will be filled by a fully qualified teacher. [32119/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department's position is that only qualified and registered teachers should be employed by schools. This is set out most recently to schools in Circular Letter 31/2011. Current recruitment procedures direct schools to ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to publicly paid posts must be registered with the Teaching Council and have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are proposed. The Teaching Council was established under the Teaching Council Act 2001 as the regulator of the teaching prefession. The Council promotes professional standards in teaching.

The Education (Amendment) Act 2012 was enacted on 23 May 2012. This Act provides for a number of education-related matters, including provision to enable the implementation of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 which I intend to commence on the 1st November 2013. This will prohibit payment from public funds of people employed as teachers in recognised school's unless they are registered with the Teaching Council except for very limited, exceptional and short- term circumstances which will be set out in Ministerial Regulations.

This provision which is outlined in Circular 25/13 reinforces the Department's longstanding position that education in recognised schools funded by the State must be delivered by appropriately qualified teachers.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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372. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who trained in another jurisdiction that undertook the SCG during the last academic year. [32120/13]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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373. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who trained in another jurisdiction who passed the SCG during the last academic year. [32121/13]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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374. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who trained in another jurisdiction who have opted for an adaptation period under the terms of Directive 2005/36/EC. [32122/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 372 to 374, inclusive, together.

I understand the question to relate to the Irish language requirement and the adaptation period allowed to teachers who were trained in another jurisdiction under the terms of Directive 2005/36/EC

Some general statistics on the matter have been provided to me by the statutory regulator for the teaching profession, the Teaching Council, as follows:657 primary teachers are currently registered with the condition of completing the Irish Language Requirement. 178 teachers have opted to address the shortfall via an adaptation period (OCG).430 teachers have opted for the aptitude test (SCG). Some 49 teachers with the registration condition have not indicated the option/route/method that they are taking in addressing the shortfall of the Irish Language Requirement.

In the 2012/13 academic year 176 candidates sat the SCG (An Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge) and 124 (70%) passed the examination. 67 candidates undertook the OCG (Measúnú ar Mhúineadh na Gaeilge) and 39 (58%) passed. Final pass rates will not be known until repeat examination results are available.