1447. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the current restrictions preventing qualified, experienced teachers who are currently job-sharing from undertaking occasional substitute teaching work; if she will consider introducing a capped or restricted number of substitute days for job-sharing teachers, similar to arrangements available to teachers on career breaks, to alleviate both the current cost-of-living pressures on families and the severe substitute teacher shortages facing schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63152/26]

The Job-Sharing Scheme for teachers is contained in Chapter 8 of the Department’s Circular Letter Circular 0054/2019 titled ‘Leave Schemes for Registered Teachers Employed in Recognised Primary and Post Primary Schools’. Paragraph 11.1(a) of the Job-Sharing Scheme states a teacher may not engage in any substitute teaching whilst job sharing.

The purpose of the Job-Sharing scheme is to assist teachers in combining work commitments and personal responsibilities/choices.

A teacher participating in the Job-Sharing scheme may opt to share a wholetime post on a 50:50 basis or have a reduction in their wholetime teaching hours of 50%.

These Job-Sharing patterns have been agreed with the Education Partners with the aim of allowing teachers to participate in the Job-Sharing scheme while minimising disruption to the students of the school and ensuring continuity of teaching, as well as facilitating schools to appoint a teacher to fill the other 50% of the available hours.

Any changes to the terms and conditions of the Job-Sharing scheme can only be made through consultation and agreement with the Education Partners through means of the Teachers Conciliation Council and in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

In response to issues raised in relation to teacher supply, the restriction on engaging in substitute teaching, imposed in the Job-Sharing Scheme, has been suspended on a temporary basis over the last number of years.

Information Note TC/IN 0001/2026 has recently been published by my Department and provides for the extension of this temporary arrangement until the end of the 2026/27 school year.