David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding teachers on temporary contracts being out of work for more than 26 weeks; if the time spent teaching will be considered for pension and other such purposes on return to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9203/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004 abolished the maximum age of retirement for new entrants to employment in the public service from the 1st April 2004. It also raised the minimum pension age for new entrants to age 65.

In general terms, a new entrant to employment in the public service (including employment as a teacher) is a person who enters public service employment for the first time on or after the 1st April 2004, (including employment in a temporary or fixed-term capacity, whether full-time, or part-time), OR,a person who becomes re-employed in the public service,( including employment as a teacher) following a break of more than 26 weeks, where that break occurred at anytime on or after 1 April 2004).

The provisions of this legislation are of general application to public servants and there are no proposals to make exceptions for any particular individual or group.

All teaching service given by teachers employed in temporary contracts since December 2001 in recognised primary or second level schools is pensionable. As part of Budget 2011, introduced by the previous Fianna Fail - Green Party government, a 10% reduction in the pay of new appointees to the public service applies from the 1st January 2011 and all new recruits to the entry grades of the public service will start at the first point of the relevant pay scale without exception. A person in the situation referred to by the Deputy who had service prior to the 1st January 2011 is not regarded as a new entrant for this purpose.