Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses to this morning's meeting. First, I wish to deal with salary overpayments to teachers described by Mr. Ó Foghlú. As part of budget 2011 a reduction of 10% was applied to the pay of new entrants. I appreciate and understand the difficulties encountered by the Department. A teacher appointed in 2010 would be in receipt of a gross salary of just over €33,000 plus more than €6,000 in allowances, and a teacher appointed in 2011 would be in receipt of approximately €28,000 gross, plus approximately €5,500 in allowances. I understand that the higher rates continued to be paid until August 2011. Is it the case that the Department did not have a system in place to deal adequately with the change introduced in the previous budget?