Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the full breakdown of cuts to the pay of new entrants to the teaching professions in recent years including cuts to qualification allowances in budget 2012; the amount by which their new entrants' pay has fallen sine 2009; his views regarding the impact on educational standards as a result of these continuing cuts; his views on whether high-calibre persons will no longer choose to enter the profession; if he will consider carrying out a review into the impact of these cuts on the pay of new entrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15312/12]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide up-to-date details of the way the pay of new entrants to the teaching profession compares to that in other EU countries following a number of cuts in recent years including cuts in budget 2012 to qualification allowances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15313/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together.

A 10% reduction in salary applies to new entrants to the public service , including teachers, who commenced employment for the first time on or after 1 January 2011. This is in accordance with the Budget 2011 decision taken by the previous administration. Teachers appointed for the first time on or after the 1st January 2011 also commence employment at the first point of the salary scale. Incremental credit for the length of time in college training as a teacher is no longer reckonable. The salary scales applicable to teachers who commenced employment for the first time after the 1st January 2011 in posts funded by my Department are outlined in Circular 0040/2011.

The Government announced as part of Budget 2012 that, pending completion of the public service-wide review of allowances, changes to teacher qualification allowances were being made with immediate effect. These changes affected both existing teachers and new appointees in the future.

These changes are outlined in Circular 70/2011. Teachers who had been engaged in a public sector teaching post on or before 4 December 2011 are eligible to retain the qualification allowances they were entitled to be in receipt of on that date. Such teachers will not be paid any additional allowance where they acquire any further qualification on or after 5 December 2011. The position of teachers who, on 5 December 2011, were undertaking courses will be considered in the context of the review.

Teachers who were appointed to teaching posts for the first time on or after 5 December 2011 but before 1 February 2012 are eligible for allowances on the basis of their qualifications at entry to the profession up to a maximum of the allowance which had been applicable to an honours primary degree.

Pending the outcome of the review by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, allowances are not payable to new beneficiaries, i.e. those who become eligible for receipt of the allowance in question on or after 1 February 2012. The terms of this arrangement are outlined in Circular 3/2012. Examples of such allowances include any form of qualification allowance or the supervision and substitution payment paid to teachers, and the secretary to the Board of Management allowance paid to school principals. The only exceptions to this prohibition are principal and deputy principal allowances.

These decisions were taken pending the outcome of the public service-wide review of allowances generally due to the upward pressure on the cost of teacher allowances generally.

The most recent available comparison to other EU countries is the 2011 edition of OECD publication "Education at a Glance" which has a reference year of 2008/2009. This showed that salaries for Irish teachers with 15 years experience are significantly higher than both the EU and OECD average.

Copies of Circulars 40/2011, 70/2011 and 03/2012 are attached.

Circular 0003/2012

To: The Managerial Authorities of Recognised Primary, Secondary,

Community and Comprehensive Schools

and

The Chief Executive Officers of Vocational Education Commitees

Budget 2012 – Public Service-Wide Review of Allowances and Premium Payments

Introduction

1. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in his address to Dáil Éireann on the Expenditure Estimates on 5 December last, announced that public service bodies will have to achieve a reduction of 5% in the cost of allowances and premium payments in 2012.

2. In order to facilitate the required 5% reduction in 2012, it is necessary to complete a review of allowances and premium payments early this year. To this end, this Department is providing the requisite information on allowances to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and it is understood that it is intended to complete the review by the end of February 2012.

Allowances payable to Teachers, Principals and Deputy Principals

3. Pending the outcome of the review by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, allowances are not payable to new beneficiaries; ie those who become eligible for receipt of the allowance in question on or after 1 February 2012. No additions to the common basic pay scale may be paid to new beneficiaries. Examples of such additions include any form of qualification allowance or the supervision and substitution payment paid to teachers, and the secretary to Board of Management allowance paid to Principals.

4. The only exceptions to the prohibition in paragraph 3 are Principal and Deputy Principal allowances.

5. This Circular supersedes previous circulars, notices, letters, etc on these matters, including most recently Circular 70/2011 Payment of Qualification Allowances to Registered Teachers in Recognised Primary and Post Primary Schools.

Allowances payable to non-teaching staff:

6. Pending the outcome of the review by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, allowances or premium payments are not payable to new beneficiaries; ie those who become eligible for receipt of the allowance in question on or after 1 February 2012.

Circulation

7. Please ensure that copies of this Circular are provided to the Board of Management/Vocational Education Committee and its contents are brought to the attention of all teachers in your employment including those on leave of absence.

8. This Circular can be accessed on the Department's website under http://www.education.ie .

Philip Crosby

Principal Officer

External Staff Relations

31 January 2012

Circular 0040/2011

To: The Managerial Aughorities of Recognised Primary, Secondary,

Community and Comprehensive Schools

And

The Chief Executive Officers of Vocational Education Committees

New Pay Scales for New Appointees to Teaching in 2011

Introduction

1. The Minister for Education and Skills wishes to inform vocational education committees, management bodies and teachers of the application of revised rates of salary and allowances for new appointees to teaching from 1 January 2011 onwards.

2. As part of Budget 2011 the Government has applied a 10% reduction in the pay of new entrants to the public service (referred to in this Circular as "new appointees") and all new appointees to the entry grades of the public service must start at the first point of the relevant pay scale with effect from 1 January 2011.

Application of new pay rates

3. The 10% reduction in pay applies to basic pay, allowances and the supervision and substitution payment.

(a) Basic Pay:

The 10% reduction applies to basic pay on all points of the incremental salary scale. Daily and hourly rates for casual and non-casual teachers in the primary sector and hourly rates for casual and non-casual part-time teachers in the post-primary sector have also been reduced. The revised rates are set out in an Appendix to this Circular and can be accessed by clicking here.

(b) Allowances:

The 10% reduction also applies to all allowances with the exception of promotional allowances; ie special duties, assistant principal, deputy principal and principal allowances.

New Appointee to teaching

4. The new pay rates apply to all teachers who are new appointees appointed on or after 1 January 2011.

5. Where a person gave service in an analogous teaching position before 1 January 2011 (including those currently on an approved leave of absence), s/he will not be regarded as a new appointee to teaching. In addition, a person with a written offer of employment before 1 January 2011 will not be regarded as a new appointee. In these cases, the person will be assigned to the appropriate pre-1 January 2011 scale and allowances, and incremental credit for approved teaching service and non-teaching experience which is deemed relevant will be awardable.

6. Where a teacher who is retired and is in receipt of a pension returns to teaching on or after 1 January 2011, s/he will start on the first point of the post 1 January 2011 incremental salary scale.

Incremental credit

7. All new appointees to teaching will start on the first point of the post 1 January 2011 incremental salary scale. The Government has decided that all new appointees to entry grades (subject to the criteria set out above) will start at the minimum point of the new reduced scale.

8. However, incremental credit may continue to apply for relevant recognised service (e.g. recognised teaching service in another EU Member State). Similarly, those who leave the system will be able to reckon such previous relevant service on re-entry.

Circulation

9. Please ensure that copies of this Circular are provided to the Board of Management/Vocational Education Committee and its contents are brought to the attention of all teachers in your employment including those on leave of absence.

10. This Circular can be accessed on the Department's website under http://www.education.ie.

11. All enquiries regarding this Circular should be e-mailed to teachersna@education.gov.ie OR payroll@education.gov.ie

Dalton Tattan Padraig Maloney

Principal Officer Principal Officer

Teachers/SNAs Terms and Conditions Payroll

June 2011 June 2011

Appendix I

Pay Scales for new appointees appointed on or after 1 January 2011

Primary daily rate casual (qualified teacher) €164.26

Primary daily rate (unqualified) €115.12

Primary hourly rate (qualified) on payroll €32.21

Primary hourly rate (qualified) paid by grant €36.60

Primary hourly rate (unqualified) €26.07

Post-primary hourly rate casual (qualified) €40.10

Post primary hourly rate (unqualified) €36.76

Circular 70/2011

To: The Managerial Authorities of Recognised Primary, Secondary,

Community and Comprehensive Schools

and

The Chief Executive Officers of Vocational Education Committees

PAYMENT OF QUALIFICATION ALLOWANCES TO REGISTERD

TEACHERS IN RECOGNISED PRIMARY AND POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Introduction

1. The Minister for Education and Skills wishes to inform vocational education

committees (VECs), management authorities and teachers of certain changes

to the payment of qualification allowances to teachers. This includes primary

degrees, H.Dip, Masters, Doctorate and the Postgraduate/Higher Diploma in

Special Educational Needs allowance.

2. The Government announced as part of Budget 2012 that, pending completion

of the public service-wide review of allowances, changes to teacher

qualification allowances were being made with immediate effect. These

changes affect both existing teachers and new appointees in the future.

Existing teachers

3. Where a person on or before 4 December 2011–

(a) has given service in a teaching position,

(b) has been paid on a payroll operated by the Department of Education

and Skills or a VEC, and

(c) has been in receipt of allowances in respect of their qualifications,

he or she will retain those allowances regardless of the level at which they

were awarded (but see paragraph 8 below in relation to retirees returning to

teach). Teachers who were, on 4 December 2011, in receipt of the allowance

for holders of specified qualifications in special education (certain

Graduate/Higher Diplomas in Special Educational Needs) may retain that

allowance provided that they continue to meet the terms of Circulars 135/2006

(post-primary) or 21/2005 (primary).

4. Existing teachers will not be paid any additional allowance where they acquire

any further qualification on or after 5 December 2011.

5. The position of teachers who, on 5 December 2011, were undertaking courses

will be considered in the context of the public service-wide review of

allowances announced in Budget 2012 which is to be led by the Department of

Public Expenditure and Reform.

New appointees

6. Teachers who are new entrants to teaching on or after 5 December 2011 will

be eligible, at time of first appointment, for combined allowances for

undergraduate, postgraduate and teacher training qualifications to a maximum

of the allowance applicable to an honours primary degree level. This means

that allowances for other qualifications (eg H.Dip., Masters, Doctorate, etc)

will not be paid if this were to cause this maximum limit to be exceeded.

7. Where a teacher on first appointment is eligible for payment of an allowance

below that equivalent to honours primary degree level he or she will, in

common with existing teachers, not be paid any additional allowance should

he or she acquire a further qualification.

8. A teacher who is retired and is in receipt of a pension who returns to teaching

on or after 5 December 2011 will be treated as a new appointee for the

purposes of this circular. This means that the allowance payable to him or her

will be subject to the maximum set under paragraph 6 above.

Circulation

9. Please ensure that copies of this Circular are provided to the Board of

Management/VEC and its contents are brought to the attention of all teachers

in your employment including those on leave of absence.

10. The Circular can be accessed on the Department's website under

www.education.ie.

11. All enquiries regarding this Circular should be e-mailed to

teachersna@education.gov.ie or payroll@education.gov.ie.

Dalton Tattan Padraig Maloney

Principal Officer Principal Officer

Teachers/SNA Terms and Conditions Payroll Division

16 December 2011 16 December 2011

Appendix II

Frequently Asked Questions

I am a newly qualified teacher who has never worked as a substitute teacher – Which pay scale will I start on?

Only service given in a teaching position pre-1 January 2011 will count as prior service for eligibility for pre-2011 pay scales. If you have not served in a teaching position (including as a substitute) before 1 January 2011 you will be offered a contract at the new pay rates and conditions. You cannot receive incremental credit for any training prior to entry to teaching.

I am a teacher who worked in Ireland as a substitute teacher in 2001 but I have been in the UK for the past number of years – Which pay scale will I start on?

You worked in a teaching position prior to 1 January 2011. You will therefore be offered a contract at pre-2011 pay rates and conditions. Your service as a qualified and registered teacher in the UK will be reckonable for incremental credit purposes.

I am a teacher who worked in the EU for the past number of years. I have never worked in a teaching position in the public service in Ireland but am due to start in May 2011 – Which pay scale will I start on?

You are a new appointee to teaching. You will begin on the first point of the January 2011 payscale. Recognised teaching service in another country prior to your first entry to teaching in Ireland is reckonable subject to certain conditions.

I am a qualified and registered teacher who has prior public sector experience as a Lecturer. I will begin teaching in May 2011 – Which pay scale will I start on?

You are a new appointee to teaching. You will therefore be offered a contract at January 2011 pay rates and conditions. This applies also to teachers who are moving to take up a post in other positions (eg Special Needs Assistants, administrators, etc). You may be entitled to certain incremental credit in respect of your lecturing service.

I have been employed as a teacher in the private sector for 5 years. I will begin teaching in the public sector in May 2011 – What will my starting salary be?

You are a new appointee under the recent Government Decision. You will therefore be offered a contract at the first point of the January 2011 pay rates and conditions. You may be entitled to incremental credit subject to certain conditions.

I am a teacher who was employed with a Vocational Education Committee since September 2005. I resigned from my post with the VEC in November 2010. I expect to take up a teaching post in a Voluntary Secondary school in September 2011. Which pay scale will I be paid on?

You worked in a teaching position prior to 1 January 2011. You will therefore be offered a contract at pre-2011 pay rates and conditions if you resume teaching in a voluntary secondary school in September 2011. Your service as a qualified and registered teacher with the VEC will be reckonable for incremental credit purposes.