Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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328. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will facilitate the streamlining of registration of teachers who have qualified in Britain with the Teaching Council, namely, the requirement for overseas teachers to complete their induction process in the country in which they trained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29441/24]

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

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act and there are five routes of registration.

The "streamlining" referenced was previously implemented through an amendment made to the Teaching Council's registration regulations initially introduced as a short term, temporary measure to ease teacher supply issues during the pandemic. It enabled teachers who had not completed induction in the country in which they qualified, but who met particular criteria, to obtain registration in Ireland. This in turn gave them an opportunity to complete induction here. The Teaching Council Act allows for registration as a fully-registered, overseas-qualified teacher in accordance with EU mutual recognition of professional qualifications legislation. In most jurisdictions induction must be completed in the country in which the qualifications were obtained in order to be fully registered. That is the basis on which existing legal framework for regulation established through the Teaching Council Act provides for those fully-registered overseas qualified teachers. An amendment to the regulations is needed to facilitate overseas qualified teachers to complete induction in Ireland, and it should be noted that this goes beyond what is provided for through the relevant EU Directive, and also introduces an additional cohort to the domestically qualified newly qualified teachers who must be supported through the induction process in Ireland.

The mechanism was introduced again via an amendment to the registration regulations in the context of ongoing teacher supply challenges, with that amendment closing for applications on 1 February 2024. A further Statutory Instrument would be required to establish this Regulation for a longer period, which under the Teaching Council Act is a matter for the Council.

Through engagement with the Council on this matter, I can advise that the Council is considering any further amendment to provide for the completion of induction in Ireland for overseas qualified teachers in the context of its legislative framework, including relevant EU legislation.

Any updates in this regard will be published on the Teaching Council website www.teachingcouncil.ie.