Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
566. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide the rationale for seeking union membership details from applicants in respect of a post (details supplied); the basis for the request and purpose for which the information in that regard is processed. [37871/26]
View answerAs the Deputy will know, my Department recently published Circulars providing for two Posts of Responsibility in schools to support the implementation of Senior Cycle: the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Co-Ordinator, and the Senior Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programme Co-Ordinator.
These posts were committed to in the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Implementation Support Measures (SCRISM) document published in May 2025, following extensive negotiations with both the ASTI and the TUI. Each post-primary teacher union balloted at that time on the relevant sections of the Support Measures package with, as the Deputy will know, the TUI membership accepting the package, while the ASTI membership rejected it.
ASTI members, by virtue of their rejection of the agreement in June 2025, are not entitled to SCRISM benefits. Therefore, ASTI members are not eligible to be appointed to these posts. However, the posts are available for ASTI members to apply for with their eligibility to obtain one of these posts to be determined based on the outcome of the ASTI ballot which is underway.
In the event that eligibility for appointment cannot be established following the ballot, the SCR Coordinator post will be offered to the applicant (who is eligible to be appointed) who received the next highest ranking at interview.
This variance in eligibility on foot of the ballot results from each teacher union gives rise to the Teacher Declaration Form the Deputy refers to, which is an appendix to both circulars. The appendix should be completed by each applicant and submitted to the school principal at the time of application, in order that eligibility for appointment to be established.
There has been significant progress on Senior Cycle Redevelopment at school level, with our students already seeing the benefits. I welcome the ASTI’s decision to ballot their members with that process currently in train and look forward to continued engagement with each Union as implementation of the reforms continue.
