Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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208. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on re-opening the qualification allowance for post-primary teachers to new entrants, in view of the unfairness of two teachers being paid at different rates simply because one commenced employment later than the other and the fact that many new teachers are struggling financially as they cannot obtain full-time work. [3011/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Due to the worsening economic circumstances, the Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale.

Subsequently, arising from the public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments, the Government decided to withdraw or modify allowances for new beneficiary public servants with effect from 1 February 2012. As part of this, certain allowances were withdrawn for new beneficiary teachers, including qualification allowances. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale.

Under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013 – 2016 (Haddington Road Agreement), revised pay scales for post-1 January 2011 and post-1 February 2012 entrants to teaching were agreed and implemented with effect from 1 July 2013.

The Haddington Road Agreement further provided that the salary imbalance between those who entered the public service since 2011 and those who entered before that date would be addressed. In that regard, my Department implemented a further revised incremental salary scale for teachers who entered teaching between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012 with effect from 1 November 2013. Allowances payable to post-1 January 2011 entrants and such allowances as remain payable to post-1 February 2012 entrants were restored to pre-2011 levels as part of this measure.

In addition, the Haddington Road Agreement provided for the establishment of an Expert Group to consider and report on the level of fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching, having regard to the importance for teachers of employment stability and security and taking account of system and school needs and Teaching Council registration requirements.

The independent chairperson of the Group (Peter Ward SC) presented his report to me on 17 September 2014, following extensive consultation with all stakeholders and interested parties. The report recommends a suite of measures which will allow fixed-term teachers to acquire permanent positions more easily and quickly and enable part-time teachers to gain additional hours. The report also provides for extended redeployment arrangements in the event of mismatch between teacher qualifications and the curricular needs of schools, giving school management increased flexibility.

The report recommends that seven changes should take place from the commencement of the 2015 school year and I intend to proceed with the implementation of those recommendations with effect from that date. These reforms will represent a significant improvement in the job security and stability of employment for existing and future young teachers.