Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

223. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the next steps for a person (details supplied) who cannot provide relevant information to register with the Teaching Council of Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56058/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the and in line with the . There are five routes of registration, the minimum registration requirements for each route are set out in the Schedule of the Regulations.

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.

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 and that they are a fit and proper person. 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.

The Teaching Council has informed me that the person that the Deputy is referring to in this query had been previously registered with the Teaching Council in 2013 and 2022. The individual referred to submitted a recent application for registration to the Teaching Council and sent an email querying overseas police clearance requirements. This teacher was advised that if they lived outside of Ireland for a cumulative period of more than 12 months, police clearance from the countries where they lived is needed. It was noted from this query that the individual had lived in Russia, therefore a link was also provided to the relevant authority from where the required clearance from Russia can be obtained The teacher has advised in further email correspondence that they are having difficulty in obtaining the clearance from Russia. In this regard, the Council have requested evidence of their interactions with this authority in order to advise further.

The Teaching Council has advised that it will contact this person directly to provide further assistance in relation to the requirements.