Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 October 2013
266. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department collates figures for teacher absenteeism in primary and secondary schools; and the way this information is collated and the headline results generated. [42526/13]
View answerTeachers in primary secondary and community/comprehensive schools are employed by the managerial authorities of the schools and paid salary by my Department on their behalf. The absences of teachers are recorded by the managerial authorities of the schools using the on line claim system. The information recorded is retained on my Departments database and is used to ensure the correct payment of teachers for their attendance in schools.
The information is also used to ensure that the rules applicable to the various types of leave granted to teachers such as sick leave and maternity leave are adhered to on an ongoing basis.
The managerial authorities of schools can obtain information from the database to monitor absenteeism of teachers employed by them on sick leave on an ongoing basis. The Department of Expenditure and Reform is provided annually with information on the absenteeism rates of teachers on sick leave with a view to monitoring trends in absenteeism across the public sector.
