The Employment Control Framework agreed for the Department of Education and Skills covers the period 2010 to 2014 and comprehends staff working in a range of bodies and organisations across the education area, including the Teaching Council.
Regardless of funding status, agencies under the aegis of the Department, including the Teaching Council, are required to order and prioritise their work and working practices to take account of any limitations resulting from the application of the Employment Control Framework. This situation also applies in other areas of the public sector.
The Teaching Council has submitted a request for further staff which it considers necessary to carry out its functions. This request has been under consideration by the Department of Education and Skills and there is ongoing communication with both the Teaching Council and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding the Council's staffing issues.
Not all of the Council's functions are yet operational. Increasing the Council's staffing would enable it to discharge its full range of statutory functions efficiently and effectively.
At present, and in line with measures announced recently in the Statement on the progress of the Government's Public Service Reform Plan, the possibility of outsourcing some Teaching Council functions is being examined.
Salaries of the staff of the Teaching Council are funded from the Council's income, which is largely derived from teachers' registration fees. The Teaching Council makes ongoing superannuation contributions in respect of the future pensions costs of its staff, while the actual pensions are funded by the Department of Education and skills as they arise.
