Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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221. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will have a further opportunity to appeal a decision to withdraw teachers for 2015-16; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13671/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2015/2016 school year is set out in the published staffing arrangements (Circular 0005/2015) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the 30 September 2014. The staffing arrangements also include an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in Circular 0005/2015.

The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for consideration by the Appeals Board at its March 2015 meeting. The Appeals Board determined that the appeal did not satisfy all of the published criteria as set out in Circular 0005/2015. The school has been notified in this regard.

The Appeal Board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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222. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she will implement measures to reduce the reliance on short-term contracts and part-time work in primary and secondary schools, as recommended by the report of the Expert Group on Fixed Term and Part-Time Employment in Primary and Second Level Education. [13672/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The report of the Expert Group on Fixed-Term and Part-Time Employment in Primary and Second Level Education in Ireland was published in September 2014. At the time of publication I gave a commitment to implement the report with effect from September 2015. Following consultation with the education partners Circulars 23/2015 and 24/2015 detailing the arrangements and procedures for the implementation of the recommendations of the report were published last Friday March 27th.

These arrangements and procedures as set out in these circulars are for implementation from the commencement of the 2015/16 school year.

Copies of these circulars are available on my Department's website at the following link .

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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223. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to this Deputy's recent correspondence, if her Department will confirm the entitlement of a concession to a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13677/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The school referred to by the Deputy is accessible by bridge from the mainland. It is not therefore in the same position as other island schools that are only accessible by boat or by helicopter/aeroplane. The particular staffing arrangements for island schools that are set out in the published Staffing Schedule are designed to reflect the isolated nature of an island school that is only accessible by boat or by helicopter/aeroplane and the operational and practical difficulties that this can create for the school and, in particular, the availability of teaching staff. These circumstances do not apply to the school referred to by the Deputy.

In the current school year this school has an enrolment of 58 pupils and has 3 classroom teachers (including the Teaching Principal). The number of classroom teachers is not due to change for the 2015/16 school year. The school is also the base for a shared GAM/EAL (learning/language) support post with a school on the mainland.