Written answers

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Department of Education and Skills

Teachers' Remuneration

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the pay conditions for new teachers and the lack of qualification allowances for new post-primary teachers; if she will discuss the wide disparities in teachers' incomes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3343/15]

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

Subsequently, a public service-wide review of allowances took place in 2012, following which the Government decided among other measures to withdraw qualification allowances from new beneficiaries. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would commence on a new salary scale which had a higher starting point than the old scale.

As part of the Haddington Road Agreement, revised payscales for post-1 January 2011 and post-1 February 2012 entrants to teaching were implemented with effect from 1 July 2013. The 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. My Department therefore implemented a revised salary scale with effect from 1 November 2013 for teachers who entered between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012. Their maximum salary is now equal to that which applies for teachers who entered the profession prior to 2011.

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.

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