asked the Minister for Education the number of teachers applying for early retirement under the voluntary redundancy scheme in primary, secondary, community, comprehensive and vocational schools; and the number of retirements which will be offered in each sector.

The number of teachers who have applied for voluntary redundancy-early retirement is: primary 2,461; secondary, 982; community, 120; comprehensive, 63. I am not yet in a position to say how many vocational teachers will apply as the closing date for the vocational teachers is 31 March 1988.

The applications for redundancy for which the closing date is past are being examined at present but it will be some time before I am in a position to quantify the number of offers to be made. The Deputy will appreciate that the timescale involved will vary from sector to sector.

When will the final information be conveyed to the schools involved? Will principals of schools be given this information in time to enable them to plan their timetables and determine the courses and subjects they will offer to their students in advance of the summer holidays, or will this kind of information be given when the schools are closed and then will our students, teachers and principals return to a chaotic situation in September?

No. I assume the Deputy is referring to post-primary.

It applies to all schools.

The Deputy asked about all subjects so one presumes she is talking about post-primary schools.

And timetables.

Principals of any level of schooling who have responsibility for devising the timetables will know in good time to enable them to prepare the timetables in consultation with parents and pupils.

In relation to Church of Ireland and other Protestant schools, in the event of the information thrown up leading to teachers being deemed to be surplus, has the Minister any plans to extend panel rights to teachers of those schools? Equally, has she made any provision for religious teachers in ordinary second level schools who hitherto have had very restricted, if any, panel rights?

The matter to which the Deputy refers — the position of Church of Ireland schools and religious orders — is under very active consideration in my Department. My officials have been meeting — and in some instances I have met with them — with the interests concerned and we are working out what we hope will be an agreeable answer to the points the Deputy has raised. We are considering them at present.

When will this kind of information be communicated to the schools? Will they know in advance of September?

Yes, they will.