Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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545. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress with the substitute list of primary school teachers, with regard to confining the vacancies that arise to jobless school teachers; the number of vacancies to which jobless teachers were appointed; the number of retired teachers appointed to these posts, in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24798/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of Primary and Post Primary schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. It is schools that employ teachers and not my Department. However my Department has issued a number of Circulars addressing this issue in recent years.

Under these Circulars School Principals must maintain a list of unemployed registered teachers who are available for substitute work at short notice and report to the Board of Management on any exceptional occasion where they have had to engage a registered teacher who is retired. Circular 31/2011 details a cascade of measures for the recruitment of teachers, prioritising registered teachers over retired registered teachers and unregistered people.

A retired teacher who returns to teaching on or after 1 February 2012 will commence at the first point of the incremental salary scale (i.e. the lowest point or starting salary for teachers). Incremental credit for service prior to 1 February 2012, qualification allowances and certain job role allowances are also not payable. This measure represents a significant financial disincentive for teachers who retired at the top of their salary scale, often with a post of responsibility allowance, to return to teaching.

The most recent information available on retired teachers paid by my Department and employed by managerial authorities of schools relates to the 2013/14 school year. 37,012 were employed as Teachers in Primary schools of which 302 were retired Primary school teachers. This compares to 847 retired teachers employed in Primary schools for the 2011/12 school year. In Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive schools 20,352 were employed as Teachers of which 235 were retired Post Primary Teachers. This compares to 544 retired Teachers employed in Post Primary schools paid by my Department in the 2011/12 school year.