Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

655. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a teacher who resumes working, having previously worked prior to the introduction of the 2011 new entrants pay scales, and then worked abroad, can qualify for the old pay scale or must start again on the new scale; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6955/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to set out the sequence of policy and budgetary measures in relation to appointees to teaching and their pay entitlements that have occurred over the last number of years.

The first measure took effect on 1st September 2010. It requires that, in order to be eligible to receive the qualified rate of pay and allowances, a person on their first appointment to teaching must be registered with the Teaching Council and appropriately qualified for that position. This was introduced for the purpose of ensuring quality and promoting professional standards in teaching and this goal has been strongly supported by the teacher unions.

The second measure was taken as part of Budget 2011. The Government applied a reduction in the pay of new entrants to the public service. In the case of new teachers a reduction of 10% was applied to pay and certain allowances and all new teachers were required to start on the first point of the scale rather than the third point as had previously been the case for most teachers. The new pay rates applied to all teachers who were new appointees or who became qualified on or after 1st January 2011.

In 2012 a public service-wide review of allowances was also carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and, pending its outcome, the payment of qualification allowances was suspended with effect from 1st February 2012. As a result of the review, the Government abolished qualification allowances with effect from that date and a new salary scale was created with a starting point equivalent to the fourth point of the previous scale for all entrants to teaching. This reduced the impact of the ending of the qualification allowances and ensured a broad consistency across the public service.

The effect of the above measures with regard to salary for teachers is explained below.

1. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post before 1 January 2011 whose date of first qualified Oireachtas funded teaching service is–

(a) before 5 December 2011, will be paid on the pre-2011 qualified pay scale and the qualification allowances applicable to that scale,

(b) between 5 December 2011 and 28 April 2013, will be paid on pre-2011 pay scale and qualification allowances applicable to that scale subject to the maximum value of the honours primary degree allowance applicable to that scale, or

(c) on or after 29 April 2013, will be paid on the 1 February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.

2. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012, whose date of first qualified Oireachtas funded teaching service is–

(a) before 5 December 2011, will be paid on the 1 January 2011 qualified pay scale and the qualification allowances applicable to that scale,

(b) between 5 December 2011 and 28 April 2013, will be paid on the 1 January 2011 pay scale and qualification allowances applicable to that scale subject to the maximum value of the honours primary degree allowance applicable to that scale, or

(c) on or after 29 April 2013, will be paid on the 1 February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.

3. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post on or after 1 February 2012 whose date of first qualified Oireachtas funded teaching service is on or after that date will be paid on the 1 February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.

If the Deputy has a specific query in relation to an individual teacher he should forward the details to my Department.