With between 4,500 and 5,000 Irish teachers now teaching abroad, it is really important that we facilitate any teachers who would like to return home to do so. I was recently contacted by a constituent who is teaching abroad and wants to return home but has raised serious concerns about how teaching experience is recognised on return which has a direct impact on their salary scales. There seems a clear inconsistency between primary teachers who often have their experience recognised while post-primary teachers do not. Likewise, experience is accepted by some schools but not in high-quality international schools that teach programmes like the international Baccalaureate. That means two teachers working side-by-side abroad can be treated very differently on their return with many forced to start again at the bottom of the salary scale despite their significant experience. This runs the risk of discouraging teachers who want to come home from coming home. Will the Tánaiste commit to reviewing this system to ensure a fair and consistent approach to the recognition of teaching experience?

As the Deputy said, there is an incremental credit scheme that does allow teachers to claim credit for other years of relevant service, whether within the EU or outside it. However, there are some issues the Deputy is right to raise in relation to schools which may not necessarily satisfy the current required criteria and then the service of the school cannot be considered towards that incremental credit.

The service of the school cannot then be considered toward that incremental credit. I think that is the nub of the issue we hear time and again. Through the Teachers Conciliation Council there is a subcommittee that looks at incremental credit. The teacher unions have now lodged a claim concerning the recognition of private post-primary teaching service outside the EU as well. The Department is examining this as part of the budgetary cycle. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to engage with the Deputy directly.