Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 An Chomhairle Muinteoireachta is the professional standards body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State.

An Chomhairle Muinteoireachta registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.

An Chomhairle Muinteoireachta has provided officials in my Department with the following information in relation to this query.

There are 113,000 teachers on the Register making it the single biggest professional register in the State. An Chomhairle Muinteoireachta is acutely aware of the importance of providing an efficient and effective service to teachers. An Chomhairle introduced a new registration database and enhanced self-service portal in October 2021 which allows teachers to apply for Garda vetting, pay renewal fees, submit documentation and update their details online. In late 2021, the post received by an Chomhairle fell from a total of 2,430 items for Q3 to 450 in Q4 coinciding with the introduction of the enhanced online self-service facilities.

In the 2020/2021 reporting year, an Chomhairle actioned 111,000 emails which were received into the main inboxes. Actioned emails include responses and clarifications being issued in addition to registration documentation being updated. These numbers do not include emails issued directly from staff email accounts. An Chomhairle also answered in excess of 35,600 phone calls across ten phone lines.

Between 28 February 2022 and 16 March 2022, than Chomhairle received 5,100 emails into the main inboxes, of which 4,750 were actioned. A total of 42 items were listed on the post-log and all were actioned by either return post or registration/vetting updates. During this period a further 4,050 phone calls were answered. These figures give a daily average of 3 post items, 365 emails actioned, and 311 phone calls answered across the 13 working day period.

It is worth noting that March is traditionally one of the busiest periods for an Chomhairle. Approximately 37,000 teachers have a registration renewal date in March including 12,500 teachers who are required to complete re-vetting in advance of renewing their registrations. In order to afford the teachers time to complete one or both processes well in advance of their renewal date, regular communications regarding the re-vetting process commenced in November 2021 and renewal reminders began in February 2022. However, despite the early notifications, an Chomhairle is currently experiencing a high level of emails and phone calls in relation to these processes and has put in place additional phone support, developed a ‘Step- by -Step Guide’ and updated the Frequently Asked Questions. Videos to guide teachers through the 2-4 minute renewal process are also currently being developed.