Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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411. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current criteria to be granted a contract of indefinite duration for primary teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54610/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In 2015 the Department implemented 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) which provided for fixed-term contract teachers to acquire permanent positions more easily and quickly and enable part-time teachers to gain additional hours. The current circulars governing the award of Contracts of Indefinite Duration (CIDS) are circulars 0023/2015 (primary teachers) and 0024/2015 (post-primary and ETB teachers).

These circulars outline the criteria which must be met in order to obtain a CID. Implementation of the Ward Report saw the qualification period for the granting of an initial CID reduced from a period of continuous employment in excess of three years with the same employer to a period of (fully Oireachtas funded) continuous employment in excess of two years with the same employer. The Ward Report extended eligibility to include covering for a teacher absent on two specific schemes. This is confined to covering the absence of (i) a teacher on career break or (ii) a teacher on secondment.

My Department/ or an ETB will sanction a CID for a teacher in an Oireachtas funded post who satisfies all of the following conditions:

(i) s/he is registered on a current basis with the Teaching Council and

(ii) s/he is the holder of qualifications appropriate to the sector and

(iii) s/he has had in excess of 2 years continuous teaching service under two or more successive written contracts of employment with the same employer that were paid for out of monies provided by the Oireachtas and the most recent such contract is comprehended by 1 or 2 of Part A of circulars 0023/2015 or 0024/2015 and a new interview process was conducted.

Unless s/he is excluded by reason of the following :

(iv) s/he is covering for another teacher absent on an approved scheme of leave other than covering for a teacher absent on career break or secondment and this was set out as an objective ground in writing in the previous contract.

If all conditions in circular 0023/2015 or 0024/2015 have been satisfied and a CID has been refused, the applicant is entitled to appeal this decision under Circular 0030/2018.

More recently, in April of this year I announced a measure to address ongoing challenges and boost teacher supply whereby teachers taking up their first contract in a viable teaching post in September 2025, will become eligible for a permanent contract in September 2026. This eligibility is contingent upon successful re-appointment following a competitive recruitment process and the ongoing viability of the post in a school. This represents a substantial improvement on the existing situation, which required teachers to complete two consecutive contracts before qualifying for a permanent position.

Teachers not covered by this new policy, such as those in substitute roles or those whose posts are not deemed viable after one year, will continue to follow the existing route to permanency, which typically involves achieving a Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) after a third contract. Detailed guidelines and implementation procedures for this new policy will be developed with the support of education stakeholders, including teacher unions and management body representatives.