Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her assessment of the impact of the moratorium on filling posts of responsibility at post-primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45367/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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When the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was introduced in 2009, the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools. These posts continue to be replaced in the normal manner. The impact of the moratorium was therefore limited to the Assistant Principal and Special Duties posts of responsibility.The alleviation arrangements are set out in Circular 0004/2014 which provide a floor by which schools acutely affected at AP level by the impact of the moratorium can fill their AP vacancies as they arise to the level of the thresholds set out in that circular. These arrangements are mainly focused at post-primary level.

It continues to be a matter for each individual school authority to re-organise and prioritise the appropriate duties for post of responsibility holders in the context of implementing the moratorium.

I think it is fair to say that before the moratorium, notwithstanding the fact that one out of every two teachers held a management allowance the workload issue and the pressures on Principals and Deputy Principals existed.

Simply lifting the moratorium as extra funding becomes available in future years is not the best way of improving how school leadership is distributed in our schools.

The school management bodies at second level have published proposals for a more flexible model of middle management supports for schools. There is more work to be done in relation to these proposals and they will be the subject of more detailed discussions between my Department and the management bodies in the coming weeks.