Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way he intends to deal with the pay gap that has emerged between new entrant teachers and those appointed prior to his decision to withdraw all allowances. [43489/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Government policy on the payment of qualifications allowances to new entrant teachers arises because of the need to constrain public service pay costs in face of the extremely difficult national financial position.

It should be noted however that the Government has decided that new entrant teachers who will no longer be in receipt of qualifications allowances will commence on a salary of €30,702, which is equivalent to the 4th point of the existing teachers salary scale from 1 January 2011. In gross salary terms this amounts to an incremental salary gain of €2,888 on the base incremental point of the scale for new entrant teachers. New entrant teachers will also have the option of being paid a pensionable allowance of €1,592 for supervision and substitution, thereby bringing their starting salary to €32,294.