Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for his question. The reference to allowances refers to all allowances, not just those in respect of the Gaeltacht. The Department has implemented the outcome of the public-service-wide review of allowances and premium payments by the Department of public expenditure. This meant many allowance were no longer payable to new entrant teachers from 1 February 2012. Among those allowances withdrawn were the teaching through Irish allowance and the Gaeltacht allowance. Amendments to teacher terms and conditions can only be achieved through engagement and agreement between the Government and the public service unions. For example, over the course of recent collective agreements, amendments have been agreed, including that new entrant teachers have an equivalent of an honours primary degree allowance integrated into their salary scale. Any further amendments to alter the allowance paid to teachers will give rise to significant costs, obviously. At the same time, it would have to be agreed through the mechanisms that are there.

Under the current public service agreement, a local bargaining fund is to be established whereby additional changes and rates of pay under conditions of employment can be negotiated between the Government and the unions. The teacher unions have indicated that the restoration of these allowances are among the claims they wish to consider as part of this bargaining process. We will see how that proceeds.