Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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14. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has received a request from the Department of Education and Skills in relation to the shortage of teachers in key subject areas at secondary level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2126/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that the determination of the allocation of teachers is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, in the first instance. However, based on information provided to my Department by the Department of Education and Skills, I am informed that there is not a teacher shortage but rather a shortage of teachers in some specific subject areas.

As the Deputy may be aware, there has been significant recruitment in the Education sector in recent years.  The Department of Education & Skills has informed me that an estimated additional 2,900 posts were filled in 2016/17, nearly 500 more than announced in Budget 2017 and the process of filling all of the additional posts is almost complete. 

With respect to overall teacher allocations and projected teacher demands, there was considerable engagement between both Departments in the context of Budget 2018 which made provision for almost 1,300 additional teaching posts in primary and secondary schools.  Budget 2018 prioritised support for children with special educational needs and provided support for new STEM and Digital learning initiatives in classrooms to provide for the needs of the sector in 2018/19.

I am informed that the Department of Education and Skills is aware that some schools have reported difficulties in recruiting teachers in specific subjects at post-primary level, including in STEM.  I also understand that no request in relation to this specific issue has been submitted to my Department.  Any initiative proposed by the Department of Education and Skills in this area that potentially gives rise for the need for increased resources will, of course, need to be considered in the normal way in the context of the Estimates process.

The Department of Education and Skills is strongly committed to examining all possible means of responding to the issue of teacher shortages in specific subjects.  For example, as part of the implementation of the STEM Strategy and the Foreign Languages in Education Implementation Plans, the Minister for Education and Skills has committed to delivering increased teacher supply in key priority areas, assessing specific policy initiatives which can accelerate supply in critical areas.

The Deputy will recognise that reflecting the size, diversity and distribution of the post-primary education there are significant complexities involved in workforce planning for the sector.  Careful consideration is required of all the various elements.  In terms of population trends of school-age children, officials in my Department are currently working in collaboration with officials in the Department to Education and Skills to better understand the number of teachers required in future years based on current demographic trends.

It is important to stress that given the significant recruitment in the sector in recent years and the plans for 2018/19 there are strong career opportunities for teacher graduates in the post-primary sector.  In addition, it is important to point out that the pay of a new recruit teacher compares favourably to other new recruits in the public sector and beyond; from 1 January 2018, the first point of the salary scale for a newly recruited teacher amounts to €35,958 (on a 27 point salary scale reaching a maximum of €67,538).