Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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436. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated costs of establishing and running the supply panels for primary and special schools in the school year 2020-2021; and her views on retaining this important staffing support in the 2021-2022 school year to ensure that pupils are taught by qualified teachers in the event of teacher absence in a school. [29846/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Roadmap for the Full Return to School provided for comprehensive supports across a range of areas to allow for the safe reopening of schools, including additional funding of €41.2 million, to provide primary schools with substitute staff. This funding provides more certainty on the availability of substitutes for primary schools and cover substitutions that are not covered by existing schemes.

The Substitute Teacher Supply Panel has been expanded from a pilot scheme consisting of 6 base schools to 115 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 330 newly appointed Supply Panel teachers employed, providing substitute cover to almost 2,300 schools across the country.

The proficiencies of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panels is being monitored throughout the school year and the schools involved in the supply panels have been informed that the panels will continue for the 2021/22 school year.