Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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251. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to allow special needs assistants to take unpaid leave for the purpose of undertaking teaching practice when retraining as primary or secondary school teachers. [39977/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context. They may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream national school to assist school authorities in making suitable provision for a pupil or pupils with special care needs arising from a disability. The first priority is that the care needs of the pupils are met on an ongoing basis during the school year.

In June 2012, my Department, in conjunction with the School Management Bodies and the relevant Trade Unions, agreed a Career Break Scheme for Special Needs Assistants in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools, the provisions for which are contained in Circular Letter 22/2012. The purpose of the Career Break Scheme is to enable employers, wherever possible, to facilitate applicants to take time off to engage in, among other things, personal development and education (including teacher training). This Scheme therefore is applicable for courses where participants are required to attend teaching practice and be absent from the provision of care duties for significant periods of time during the school year.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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252. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if provision will be made to allow special needs assistants who are qualified as primary school teachers to work as full-time learning support teachers in post-primary schools with benefits and leave. [39978/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

In accordance with Department Circular 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired. This Circular details a cascade of measures for the recruitment of teachers, prioritising registered teachers over retired registered teachers and unregistered people.