Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

555. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in respect of the rates of pay for casual and part-time teachers in secondary schools who are employed on an ad hoc basis depending on the immediate requirements of a specific school, if it is commonplace for such teachers to be employed as substitutes in more than one school in any academic year, whether it be a school run by an education and training board, a voluntary school, or otherwise, if there is a discrepancy in how casual part-timer workers are remunerated depending on what school employs them for such work, given that her Department pays the full hourly rate of pay to qualified secondary school teachers for all substitution and supervision work and the Education Training Boards only pay the full qualified rate to qualified teachers if the classes they cover are for subjects that they are registered for with the Teaching Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45419/15]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

556. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if education and training boards are entitled to change the terms of employment for casual part-time teachers and if part-time teachers have any employment rights in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45420/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 556 together.

It is the policy of my Department that only qualified personnel should be employed by schools. Unqualified personnel should not be appointed except in exceptional circumstances and then only when all avenues for recruiting qualified personnel have been exhausted and only for quite limited time periods.

Circular 31 of 2011 issued by my Department to the Managerial Authorities of schools states that each employer shall ensure that each person proposed for appointment to a teaching post, for which salary grant is being sought, must be registered with the Teaching Council and have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which he/she is to be employed.

Circular 8 of 2013 provides that the unqualified rate of pay shall apply to a registered teacher who is not appropriately qualified for the teaching position to which s/he is appointed on or after 1 February 2012.