Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken to ensure that teachers based in Northern Ireland can register to teach here in an efficient, economic and fair way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43289/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority to register teachers in this State, including those with qualifications gained in other jurisdictions.

The Teaching Council registers teachers from Northern Ireland under the EU Directive 2005/36/EC, as amended, which is transposed into Irish law by Statutory Instrument (SI) 8 of 2017.  

In line with this legislation, applicants for registration are required to submit a completed application form including a character reference and qualification documentation (i.e. transcripts and module descriptors). In addition applicants are required to complete the National Vetting Bureau vetting process and may be required to supply police clearance if they have lived outside the State. Teachers holding qualifications gained outside the State are required to complete the qualification assessment process. This process determines the equivalence and appropriateness of their qualifications as set out in the Directive. The registration process cannot be completed until all the required documentation has been received and both the qualification assessment process and the vetting disclosure /clearances have been completed.