Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to urgently address an important issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37951/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The recommendations of the Report of the Expert Group on Fixed-Term and Part-Time Employment in Teaching established under the Haddington Road Agreement (also known as the Ward Report) allowed fixed-term teachers to acquire permanent positions more easily and quickly and enable part-time teachers to gain additional hours.

Specific provisions were made in this report including teachers covering for a teacher on career break, or covering for a teacher on secondment, could be eligible to be considered for a CID. However, the report did not recommend that teachers who are covering for teachers participating in the job-sharing scheme would also be eligible to be considered for a CID.

The report also provided for extended redeployment arrangements in the event of mismatch between teacher qualifications and the curricular needs of schools, giving school management increased flexibility. The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent/CID holding teachers, to other schools that have vacancies. These are agreed procedures by all the Education Partners.

At primary level, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill their vacancies from the Main Redeployment Panel. Once all teachers on the Main Panel have been redeployed, permanent vacancies are offered to teachers on the Supplementary Redeployment Panel, comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. At that point, fixed-term vacancies may be advertised through open competition.

Once a redeployment panel has been exhausted in an area, schools with permanent vacancies in that area may proceed to open competition to fill these vacancies. It is open to any teacher to apply for these vacancies as they arise.

The redeployment arrangements are reviewed each year, in consultation with the Education Partners, including the Teacher Unions.