Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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404. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department is engaging with stakeholders (details supplied) with regards to the establishment of a nationwide teacher transfer system for post primary teachers, in view that the devising of an appropriate online portal on which teachers seeking voluntary redeployment/transfer could enter their details to seek a direct swap with a matching teacher seeking the reverse relocation, wherein the establishment of such a scheme/online portal would be beneficial to the well-being of teachers, including benefitting their home and family life, and would see a reduction of large commutes by teachers and help to reduce their carbon footprint, which is in line with Irish and European Parliament position on climate targets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8373/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for each 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.

Post primary schools employ teachers with the appropriate subject mix to provide for a range of subjects that can be offered to students. It is an important aspect of the annual timetabling process that schools work towards achieving this outcome where possible. Matching the subject mix on offer with the qualifications of individual teachers who typically have more than one subject, can be a challenging task for schools. It is important that schools as employers retain the flexibility to employ teachers with the capacity to teach varied subjects to maintain a wide range of subjects on offer to students.

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 teacher redeployment arrangements are reviewed annually by my Department involving the education stakeholders, including teacher unions and management bodies. As part of the review, the Education Stakeholders can raise issues or concerns with the Department in relation to the operation of the redeployment process generally. It is open to members of the school community to liaise with their representative bodies on any matters of concern they may have.

The review in respect of the 2023/24 redeployment process took place last December. The pilot voluntary redeployment scheme will operate in counties Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath for the 2023/24 school year. The criteria for the allocation of teachers to schools including the redeployment arrangements for the 2023/24 school year is 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.