John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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331. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the Teacher Supply Steering Group last met; the recommendations and actions proposed by the group that should be immediately implemented to improve the situation that many schools experienced in 2017 in obtaining substitute teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36526/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Earlier this year I established the teacher supply steering group, to which the Deputy refers. The group is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and it last met on 29 June.

The steering group is considering the issues that impact on teacher supply, including: initial teacher education policy, provision, funding and support; data/research requirements; policies and arrangements for schools and teachers that impact on teacher mobility/supply; and promotion of the teaching profession. The steering group will oversee a programme of actions according to strict timelines and clear deliverables.  In undertaking its task, the group is cognisant of the requirement that all persons wishing to teach in recognised schools must meet the professional registration standards and criteria set by the Teaching Council, which is the professional regulatory body for the teaching profession.

In the last two years we have hired 5,000 additional new teachers. It is the case that many teachers who would have been available to carry out substitute work are now gaining permanent and long term contracts and I am aware that some schools experienced difficulties in finding substitute teachers in 2017.

In order to ease the situation, in the last school year I suspended the limits that teachers on career break can work as substitutes. Schools were also reminded that, in considering career break applications, the needs of pupils should take precedence and they must take account of the availability of appropriate qualified replacement teachers.

The steering group is due to meet again on 10 September. At this point the steering group and the working groups reporting to it have met on a number of occasions and I hope to be in a position to announce further measures to support teacher supply over the coming months.