Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
416. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 88 of 27 May 2026, if her Department has assessed whether CID and redeployment panel rules are limiting access to permanency for long-serving teachers; if so, the findings of that assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44922/26]
View answerAs previously outlined, an Expert Group was established to consider and report on the level of fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching which 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.
The provisions set out in these circulars were subsequently amended by Department Circulars 20/26 and 21/26, which subsequently reduced the period of continuous employment of one year, subject to satisfying the relevant criteria set out in the circulars.
There are no further reforms or reviews proposed to be undertaken at this time.
The rules setting out the eligibility for a CID apply to all Oireacthas funded schools/ETB and schools must follow the rules for the award of a CID. 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.
As regards the redeployment panel rules, at primary level, schools are required, under the panel arrangements, to fill their vacancies from the Main Redeployment Panel. Once all teachers on the Main Panel have been redeployed, permanent vacancies are offered to teachers on the Supplementary Redeployment Panel, comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. At that point, fixed-term vacancies may be advertised through open competition.
Once a redeployment panel has been exhausted in an area, schools with permanent vacancies in that area may proceed to open competition to fill these vacancies. It is open to any teacher to apply for these vacancies as they arise.
A key element of the redeployment process is to redeploy permanent and CID holding teachers who are surplus in their current school to other schools that have vacancies.
The redeployment of all surplus permanent and CID holding teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers.
