Education Act 1998
F36[Provisions relating to staff.
24.—(1) Subject to this section, the board of a recognised school—
(a) shall, if not already appointed, appoint a person to be Principal of the school, and
(b) may appoint such and so many persons as teachers and other staff of the school as the board from time to time considers necessary for the performance of its powers and functions under this Act.
(2) The numbers and qualifications of the teachers and other staff of a recognised school, who are, or who are to be, remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, shall be determined from time to time by the Minister, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
(3) The terms and conditions of employment of the teachers and other staff of a recognised school, appointed by the board and who are, or who are to be, remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, shall be determined from time to time by the Minister, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
(4) The Principal, a teacher or other member of staff of a recognised school appointed prior to, and holding office immediately before, the commencement of this section, continues in office after such commencement as if appointed under this section.
(5) (a) Notwithstanding subsections (3) and (11), a teacher or other member of staff of a recognised school who is, or who is to be, remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas may be redeployed to another recognised school in accordance with redeployment procedures determined from time to time by the Minister with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform following consultation with bodies representative of patrons, recognised school management organisations and with recognised trade unions and staff associations representing teachers or other staff as appropriate.
(b) A teacher or other member of staff redeployed in accordance with paragraph (a) shall, in accordance with the redeployment procedures determined under that paragraph, become an employee of—
(i) the board of, or
(ii) the F37[education and training board] which maintains,
the recognised school to which he or she is redeployed.
(6) Where all or part of the remuneration or superannuation, or both, of the Principal, a teacher or another member of staff of a recognised school is paid or is to be paid out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, such remuneration and superannuation shall be determined from time to time by the Minister, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
(7) For the purposes of section 30 of the Act of 2001—
(a) the Teaching Council shall provide the Minister and each F37[education and training board] with information which is held by it in respect of each person who is or was a registered teacher, and
(b) on and after commencement of that section, the Teaching Council shall, at the request of the Minister or F37[an education and training board, provide the Minister or education and training board], as appropriate, with the registration details of any person—
(i) who is or becomes registered under section 31 of the Act of 2001 or under regulations made pursuant to that section,
F38[(ia) whose registration is renewed under section 33 (amended by section 14 of the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015) of the Act of 2001,]
(ii) whose conditional registration lapses in accordance with section 32 of the Act of 2001,
(iii) who is removed from the register in accordance with F39[sections 32, 34, 35 or 45 (amended by the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015)] of the F39[Act of 2001,]
(iv) whose registration is corrected in accordance with section 36 of the F40[Act of 2001, or]]
F41[(v) who stands removed or suspended from the register under Part 5 of the Act of 2001.]
F42[(8) Notwithstanding section 30 of the Act of 2001, the Minister, where he or she is satisfied that it is necessary to facilitate the urgent, temporary or occasional staffing needs of recognised schools, may from time to time prescribe both—
(a) the circumstances in which a person, who is not a registered teacher for a reason other than that he or she is suspended or removed from the register under Part 5 of the Act of 2001, may be employed in the place of a registered teacher in a recognised school and be remunerated, in respect of such employment, out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, and
(b) the conditions attaching to the employment of such a person where he or she is, or is to be, remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas.
(9) Notwithstanding section 30 of the Act of 2001, the Minister shall consider the following in satisfying himself or herself for the purposes of subsection (8):
(a) the desirability of ensuring that persons employed in teaching positions in a recognised school are registered teachers;
(b) the need to facilitate the urgent, temporary or occasional staffing needs of schools;
(c) the desirability of minimising disruption to the education of students; and
(d) the qualifications and relevant experience of a person referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (8).
(10) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (8), regulations made under that subsection may provide for one or more than one of the following:
(a) a requirement that a person referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (8) be employed in the place of a registered teacher in a recognised school in a position remunerated, or to be remunerated, out of monies provided by the Oireachtas if, and only if, no registered teacher is available to take up the position in question;
(b) a limit on the length for which such a person may be so employed in place of a registered teacher;
(c) a requirement that such a person has certain minimum qualifications before he or she can be so employed;
(d) a requirement that the Minister consent to the employment of such a person;
(e) a limit on the subjects or purposes, or both, for which such a person may be so employed;
(f) a requirement that a school retain and furnish to the Minister evidence that it has been unable to employ a registered teacher in the place of a registered teacher in a recognised school; and
(g) a requirement that such a person is subject to An Garda Síochána vetting and clearance in accordance with standard practice for registered teachers.]
F43[(11) The board of a recognised school may, in accordance with procedures determined from time to time by the Minister following consultation with bodies representative of patrons, recognised school management organisations and with recognised trade unions and staff associations representing teachers or other staff as appropriate, appoint, suspend or dismiss any or all of the Principal, teachers and other staff of a school, who are remunerated or who are to be remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas.
(12) Where the employer of the Principal, teachers and other staff of a recognised school is a person other than the board of the school concerned, a reference in this section to a board shall be construed and have effect as if the said person were substituted for the said reference wherever it occurs.
(13) F44[…]
(14) In this section—
(a) "Act of 2001" means the Teaching Council Act 2001;
"register" means the Register of Teachers established under section 29 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 and "registration" and "registered" shall be construed accordingly;
and
(b) a reference to a person being, or to be, paid or remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas includes a person being partly so paid or remunerated.]
Annotations
Amendments:
F36
Substituted (6.06.2012) by Education (Amendment) Act 2012 (14/2012), s. 6, S.I. No. 190 of 2012.
F37
Substituted (1.07.2013) by Education and Training Boards Act 2013 (11/2013), s. 72(1) and sch. 6 item 27, S.I. No. 211 of 2013.
F38
Inserted (8.11.2016) by Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 (31/2015), s. 32(a), S.I. No. 556 of 2016.
F39
Substituted (25.07.2016) by Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 (31/2015), s. 32(b), S.I. No. 408 of 2016.
F40
Substituted (25.07.2016) by Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 (31/2015), s. 32(c), S.I. No. 408 of 2016.
F41
Inserted (25.07.2016) by Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 (31/2015), s. 32(d), S.I. No. 408 of 2016.
F42
Substituted and inserted (27.01.2014) by Education (Amendment) Act 2012 (14/2012), s. 6, S.I. No. 418 of 2013.
F43
Inserted (6.06.2012) by Education (Amendment) Act 2012 (14/2012), s. 6, S.I. No. 190 of 2012.
F44
Repealed (1.07.2013) by Education and Training Boards Act 2013 (11/2013), s. 65, S.I. No. 211 of 2013.
Editorial Notes:
E11
Power pursuant to section exercised (15.02.2022) by Education Act 1998 (Unregistered Persons) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 68 of 2022).
E12
Power pursuant to section exercised (28.01.2014) by Education Act 1998 (Unregistered Persons) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 32 of 2014), in effect as per reg. 2.