1235. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question Nos 414 to 417 of 16 June 2026, the number of teachers in each of the past five years who appealed a decision by a school or Education and Training Board not to award them a contract of indefinite duration; the number of such appeals that were successful; the number of successful appeals that resulted in the teacher subsequently being awarded a CID; the principal reasons for decisions not to award a CID being overturned on appeal; if this information is not collected, the reason for not doing so; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61562/26]

In 2015 my department implemented the recommendations of the Expert Group established to consider and report on the level of fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching (The Ward Report). This gave rise to the provisions outlined in Department Circulars 23/15 and 24/15. These circulars provided for the award of a CID after a period of continuous employment of two years, subject to satisfying the relevant criteria set out in the Circulars.

As set out in Department Circulars 20/2026 and 21/2026, a teacher may qualify for the award of a Contract of Indefinite Duration, (CID), on completion of one year of continuous service where the teacher has satisfied the relevant criteria set out in the circular and the school has a viable post available.

Where a teacher is not awarded a CID and they believe that they were entitled to a CID, a teacher may submit an appeal in relation to the decision of the school not to award a CID to the teacher through an Independent Adjudication process as provided for in Circular 30/2018.

As set out in paragraph 16 of Circular 30/2018, the adjudication process is voluntary and either party has the right to reject the determination of the Independent Adjudicator if they are unhappy with the outcome of the Independent Adjudication process. In such cases the determination by the Independent Adjudicator will be set aside and neither party can rely on the determination in any subsequent proceedings brought by an appellant. It is open to the Appellant or employer to pursue their statutory rights under the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act, 2003. In such cases, any ongoing appeal to the Independent Adjudicator under the terms of Circular 0030/2018 will be deemed to have been abandoned.

The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy relating to the number of teachers over the past five years who appealed a decision not to award a CID. It should be noted that apart from these cases, a number of appeals are received for CIDs that were awarded, but the appellant is appealing the terms of their CID, e.g. the number of hours.