Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the intention to remove all public sector allowances from newly qualified teachers and the way he can justify the inequity of two colleagues performing the same duties with a possible differential of €4,426.00 per annum in their salary whilst being employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38703/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 new allowances payable to both existing teachers and to new appointees in the future. Under Budget 2012 teachers appointed before 5 December 2011 are not paid an allowance where they acquire further qualifications after that date. Allowances for teachers first appointed between 5 December 2011 and 31 January 2012 are payable up to a maximum of €4,226 which was the rate applicable to Honours Primary Degree allowance. The position of teachers who, on 5 December 2011, were undertaking courses will be considered in the context of the review.

Pending the outcome of the review of allowances and premium payments by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, allowances are not payable to new beneficiaries from 1 February 2012. The only exceptions to this prohibition are principal and deputy principal allowances and, subject to certain restrictions, the assistant principal allowance. These decisions were taken due to the upward pressure on the cost of teacher allowances. These provisions are outlined in Circular 70/2011 and Circular 3/2012. The Department is not in a position to comment further on the position in relation to teacher allowances until the outcome of the public service-wide review of allowances is known.