Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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688. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the income of a person (details supplied) is corrected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63432/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Payroll Division of my Department rely on schools to enter and approve substitution claims promptly on the Online Claims System before payroll closure dates. When this is not done, or done late, salary payments to substitute teachers will be impacted. These payroll closure dates are notified to schools in advance. 

In the case of the teacher referred to by the Deputy all claims entered and approved by the school on time were processed and included in the teacher's salary for the relevant period. I can advise a number of claims were not entered and approved on time by the school to meet the payroll deadline. A number of these claims have now been approved at school level and will be paid in the next available payroll on 22nd December 2022. 

Staff from the Payroll Section of my Department have been in direct contact with the teacher in relation to this issue and a staff member has also been in contact with the school to remind them of the importance of timely recoding of substitute claims.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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689. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to establish a national voluntary redeployment panel for teachers who wish to transfer which would allow them to keep their permanent status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63479/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority as the employer. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities.

The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of surplus permanent teachers to other schools where vacancies exist.  Ensuring efficiency in the annual redeployment processes is significant in terms of managing the overall teacher numbers.

At Post-Primary level, following discussions between the relevant stakeholders a voluntary redeployment scheme has operated on a pilot basis in specific regions in recent years.  Permanent teachers employed in these regions are given an opportunity to volunteer for a transfer to other areas of the country only if such a transfer would free up a vacancy that would facilitate the redeployment of a surplus permanent teacher in the region.  

The key purpose of the pilot voluntary redeployment scheme is to assist the Department to achieve its objective of redeploying all surplus permanent teachers. To-date the pilot voluntary redeployment scheme has operated in 24 counties.

The redeployment process is reviewed annually by my Department and Education Stakeholders, including Teacher Unions. The pilot voluntary redeployment scheme will operate in counties Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly for 2023/24 school year. The criteria for the allocation of teachers to schools including the redeployment arrangements for the 2023/24 school year will shortly be available on the Department's website.  

Teachers who apply under the pilot voluntary scheme and are not facilitated with a transfer continue to have the option of applying for posts in their preferred location that are advertised in the normal manner.