Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the increased burden on teaching principals in primary schools, she has proposals to change the basic contract whereby her Department would award teaching principals with a principal's salary in addition to an allowance for their additional teaching duties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6071/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The salaries and allowances of school principals at both primary and post-primary level were considered by the Public Service Benchmarking Body, which has recently made recommendations in relation to these grades. The Benchmarking Body is recommending an increase in the allowances paid to primary principals, which will result in primary school principals receiving allowances in the range of €12,261 to €31, 580 in addition to their pay and other allowances.

It was noted in the submissions made to the Benchmarking Body that principal teachers in smaller schools with 1-7 teachers were required to combine full teaching duties with the administrative duties as principal. The Body, in making its award recognised this by adjusting the relative position of principals in primary schools with the position of principals of post primary schools. The largest adjustments are in respect of principals in the smaller primary schools.

The implementation of the Benchmarking Report is now a matter for discussion in the course of the forthcoming talks on arrangements to succeed the current pay agreement under Towards 2016. As the Benchmarking Body is the appropriate body for reviewing public service pay, there are no plans at present to further review the structure of the pay scales for school principals at primary level.