1398. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department plans to introduce a scheme to offer full-time, permanent contracts right from the start (post-probation) to eliminate job casualisation for secondary level teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58816/26]

1409. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has plans to ensure all incoming post-primary teachers be offered full-time, 22-hour permanent contracts immediately upon appointment rather than piecemeal, low-income hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58827/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1398 and 1409 together.

My Department has recently published revised arrangements for the award of a Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) to teachers, which fulfilled a promise made by my predecessor last year.The revised criteria allow for teachers to gain a permanent contract through the award of a CID after one year where they have completed a year of continuous service, where the school has a viable post available, and where the teacher has been re-appointed by the school following a competitive recruitment process.The ability to access a CID a year earlier will help teachers to place their careers on a more stable footing much sooner than before, providing teachers with the certainty that they need.

The revised arrangements for the award of a CID have been introduced following extensive engagement with the Education Partners and it is not currently intended to make any further amendments to the eligibility criteria for the award of a CID.

This Government is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning.

As of November 2025, there are over 75,000 teachers employed in Irish schools, including 34,600 at post-primary level. This analysis found that just 0.7% of allocations (247 posts) in post-primary were unutilised.This relatively low vacancy rate suggests that the vast majority of schools are well-staffed and able to meet the needs of their students.

Teaching is an attractive profession, and there are a significant number of newly qualified teachers graduating annually. 1,798 newly qualified post-primary teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2025 and CAO data shows a consistent demand for undergraduate ITE programmes. Salaries are competitive, currently starting at €46,948 and rising to €85,411 under the current pay deal. Few teachers resign, with less than 3% of the teaching workforce resigning or retiring annually from contracted teaching posts.

In addition to allowing teachers to access permanency more quickly, this Government has implemented several other measures to address teacher supply issues that have led to:

- an increase of 20% in initial teacher education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and

- an over 30% increase in the number of teachers registered with the Teaching Council since 2017.

Recently regulations were approved to allowteachers who qualified overseasto undertake theirinduction in the State and incremental credit is also available to teachers returning from abroad, depending on the teaching experience gained.

A number of measures have been introduced to address subject-specific teacher shortages at post-primary level:

- A €2,000 annual bursary for student teachers in STEM fields during the final two years of their undergraduate teacher education, with a requirement to complete at least 2 years of teaching post-qualification in a recognised post-primary school.

- Free upskilling programmes for teachers are offered in high-demand subjects: Irish, French, politics & society, computer science, maths, physics and Spanish.

A comprehensive workforce plan for the education sector, a commitment under the Programme for Government, is in development. Additionally,aproject focused on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland, led by UNESCO and supported by the EU Commission, is developing recommendations for addressing the main factors affecting teacher supply in Ireland.

I am considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.