Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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998. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is entitled to be paid at the pre-January 2011 salary scale as a teacher, similar to those persons who qualified at the same time, and in view of the fact that this person can provide evidence of his employment in 2010. [22277/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The person referred to by the Deputy is regarded as a new appointee to teaching under the terms of Circular 0040/2011.

The terms of that Circular apply only to personnel who are paid on payrolls operated by my Department or by Education and Training Boards and not to personnel employed and paid by an individual school managerial authority.

Personnel whose first teaching appointment was paid for by the Department of Education and Skills or an Education and Training Board after 1st January 2011 are considered new appointees under the terms of Circular 0040/2011.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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999. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the discrepancy in the payments made to qualified teachers recognised by the Teaching Council, who are employed in post-leaving certificate colleges subject to the Haddington Road agreement, who are undertaking extra substitution and supervising hours without payment and who are required to sign up to the Teaching Council on a yearly basis, while those without qualifications receive similar levels of pay and are not required to undertake the extra work required by the Haddington Road agreement or to pay the Teaching Council. [22280/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I assume that the Deputy is referring to posts in PLC colleges which were reclassified from teacher to tutor on the commencement of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act on 28 January 2014. Section 30 provides that teachers in recognised schools must be registered with the Teaching Council in order to be paid by the State (save in limited, exceptional circumstances).

In the lead-up to the commencement of section 30, it was recognised that there were posts in certain subject areas which were occupied by people who were not qualified teachers but whose posts had traditionally been classified as teaching posts. In some such cases, teaching qualifications are not required or appropriate. In other cases, a primary degree or equivalent qualification recognised by the Teaching Council in the subject area in question may not be available, giving rise to concerns about the ongoing supply of qualified staff.

There are, therefore, posts that can be filled by people with appropriate qualifications or experience without an approved teaching qualification. It is in the educational interests of students that the people delivering the courses have appropriate qualifications or experience, and it is in the public interest that such courses and activities can continue.

In this regard, certain posts (including posts in PLC colleges) were reclassified as tutor posts and are therefore no longer regarded as teaching posts. The holders of these posts are not subject to the requirements of section 30. PLC courses/modules re-designated to be delivered by a tutor include Beauty Therapy, Hairdressing, Security Studies, Animal Care/Grooming and First Aid.

Persons employed in these posts at the date of commencement of section 30 retained their current rate of pay and their current terms and conditions of employment. New appointees will be paid as tutors.