Michael McDowell
Question:43 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Education the reason the embargo on visiting teacher posts for the travelling community has been retained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21190/96]
Written Answers. - Visiting Teacher Service.
Mary Flaherty
Question:56 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Education when she will sanction the further development of the visiting teacher programme for travellers; and whether she will meet with representative groups to discuss this and other issues related to travellers. [18951/96]
Trevor Sargent
Question:115 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education if she will lift the embargo on appointments for visiting teachers to the traveller community in view of the fact that interviews for these posts were held in the summer of 1995. [21468/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 56 and 115 together.
The embargo to which the Deputy refers was a general public sector recruitment embargo which affected a range of services in 1995, including the visiting teacher service for travellers.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this embargo has not been retained in respect of the service in question. Indeed, I have recently announced the allocation of an additional three teachers to the visiting teacher service for travellers as part of a wider allocation of extra posts to special needs areas in the current year.
The Deputy may be aware that as well as recommending the appointment of additional visiting teachers, the Task Force on the Travelling Community also recommended the establishment of a traveller education unit within my Department to ensure a co-ordinated delivery of education services for travellers. An interdepartmental committee which considered the task force recommendations concluded that this objective could best be achieved by establishing a committee in my Department representing the various sections involved in traveller education.
This committee has now been formed and, as part of its work, it will consult with all interested groups, including traveller groups, on matters relating to traveller education. I would suggest that, in the first instance, the discussions to which Deputy Flaherty refers would best be conducted in this forum.