Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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475. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the case of a school teacher (details supplied); if her department will engage with the Teaching Council in relation to this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16651/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 Acts 2001-2015. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely Route 1: Primary, Route 2: Post-primary, Route 3: Further Education, Route 4: Other and Route 5: Student Teacher. The registration requirements for each route are set out in the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016. My department has no role in the registration of individual teachers.The Teaching Council is the regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. Their role is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching. They do this through the statutory registration of teachers, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession, whose members meet and uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct.

As a statutory professional standards body, the Teaching Council is required by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration. One of the ways the Council ensures and regulates standards is by ensuring that all teachers entering the profession in the Republic of Ireland have met the required standards.

Each application is assessed on an individual basis in accordance with the Teaching Council's registration regulations and subject curricular requirements. Applicants are advised of the shortfalls identified in their qualifications and are advised on how to address them i.e. via aptitude test or period of adaptation.

The Teaching Council have informed me that the person that the Deputy is referring to in this query has sent in evidence that they have completed an additional module at Mary Immaculate College.

This information will be considered as part of the application for registration once the timebound provision opens to applications and the teacher has applied for registration.

I would advise this person to contact the Teaching Council if they have any queries in relation to registration requirements. Further information in relation to any changes to the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations will be published on the Teaching Council website.