Written answers

Thursday, 10 October 2019

Department of Education and Skills

Supervision and Substitution Scheme

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the restrictions placed on schools during the economic downturn regarding the employment of substitute teachers in situations in which teachers are on illness leave; the cost of reverting to a position in which all teacher illness leave is covered by substitute teachers; the estimated costs by primary and post-primary schools in the certified, uncertified and family illness categories; and his views on the difficulties for schools and students in cases in which a teacher on illness-related leave may not be substituted. [41461/19]

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I assume that the Deputy is referring to changes arising from the Haddington Road Agreement involving the Supervision and Substitution Scheme in 2013 and 2014.

Circular 33/2013 (Supervision Scheme in Primary Schools) provides that from the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, the hours to be provided by teachers under the revised Supervision and Substitution Scheme were mandatory and were to be used to cover all uncertified sick leave absences (subject to appropriate alleviation measures in relation to multiple absences particularly in small schools) and from the commencement of the 2014/2015 school year to cover the first day of force majeure leave and illness in family leave. Similar provisions in relation to Supervision and Substitution were set out in Circular 06/2014 in relation to Post Primary Schools.

The provisions that apply to teachers in respect of certified and self-certified sick leave absences are set out in Chapter 1, Paragraph 5 of Circular 54/2019. The circulars can be accessed on my Department website.

The full information in relation to estimating the cost of substitution cover for absences covered by the supervision and substitution scheme as requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. I will arrange for the information that is available to be forwarded direct to him.

The information in relation to teachers employed in Education and Training Boards would have to be obtained by the Deputy from the individual Boards.

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