The programme for Government committed to the recruiting of additional teachers within a reformed and better managed public service. Earlier today, parents in a primary school in my constituency of Dublin Rathdown received a message from the principal stating, "In the new year there will be teaching vacancies in our school. These positions have been advertised repeatedly over the last three months without a single reply." This is an appalling position for a principal of the school to be put in with regard to managing her school. It is an appalling position for the teachers, given the extra pressure of operating in a school that has a shortage of staff. Most importantly, it is appalling for the children who have to attend a school where there will not be enough teachers to properly provide the best possible education for those children.

This school will, of course, continue to try its hardest to fill those vacancies but the fact remains many schools across the country are dealing with the same issue.

Pay inequality is very much part of the problem as students are refusing to join the teaching profession while, for the same reasons, young teachers are walking away from it. What measures is the Government adopting to tackle teacher shortages?

I thank the Deputy. We have managed to recruit an additional 5,000 teachers in the past two years, which is a considerable level of recruitment. That is not to take away from the fact that, on occasion, certain schools will have difficulty recruiting certain teachers. There are difficulties when it comes to certain subjects.

This is a primary school.

In an era of full employment, there are few areas of the public and private sectors where people are not struggling to find staff.

This has been going on for years.

As regards pay, we have a pay deal with the public service which involves full pay restoration for anyone earning up to €40,000 by the end of this year and up to €80,000 by the end of 2020.