Substitute teacher was paid €61,300 last year

One substitute primary school teacher last year received payments totalling €61,299, figures show.

According to figures released by the Department of Education, last year it paid out €160m in substitute and part-time hour payments to substitute teachers at primary, secondary, vocational, community and comprehensive schools.

The figures, released in response to a Freedom of Information request, show that primary substitute teachers received €114m in 2014 with secondary, vocational, community and comprehensive schools receiving €45.9m.