Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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636. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person will be assisted in obtaining clearance from the UAE to progress their Teaching Council application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29985/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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.

It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person who has applied under this Act for registration as a teacher.

The Teaching Council register teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/publications/registration/revised-teaching-council-registration-regulations-2016.pdf As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher.

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 member meet an uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct.

The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the www.teachingcouncil.ie As set out in the legislation, in order to be entitled to be admitted to the register, each applicant shall satisfy the Council that they meet the qualification requirements to be admitted to the register and that they are a fit and proper person to be admitted to the register. With regard to satisfying the Council in respect of being a fit and proper person, applicants are legally required to be vetted by the National Vetting Bureau, provide overseas police clearance, as required, and complete all required declarations as part of the registration process. The Teaching Council considers all of these requirements for the purposes of carrying out a fit and proper assessment for registration purposes only.

The Teaching Council have informed me that the person that the Deputy is referring to in this query, has submitted an application for registration to the Teaching Council. This application has been processed, and as the applicant has confirmed that they lived in Abu Dhabi for a period of more than 12 months, the Teaching Council are currently waiting on receipt of required overseas police clearance from Abu Dhabi in order to progress with the application. Police clearance certificates for Abu Dhabi can be obtained online from the www.moi.gov.ae/en/

The Teaching Council have noted that the applicant is experiencing difficulty obtaining the required clearance certificate as their Emirates ID has expired. In this regard, they have been advised by the Council's Vetting Team to contact the UAE Ministry of Interior or the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assistance.

The Teaching Council have also followed up directly with the applicant to confirm what is required in order to progress her application.