Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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190. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 227 of 21 June 2016, the number of applications for incremental credit for non-teaching service his Department has received; if the applicants qualified to teach in both primary and secondary schools; the length of time the applicants taught in primary and secondary schools; and the nature of the contracts and positions they had in both primary and secondary schools. [29885/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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191. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if applications (details supplied) were granted incremental credit for non-teaching service; and if not, the reason those applications were refused incremental credit. [29886/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 227 of 21 June 2016 (details supplied), if all applications are dealt with having regard to the relevant circular, discussions at the Teachers Conciliation Council that informed the wording of the circular or decisions, and subsequent precedents, or the way the circular is interpreted and applied as decided by his departmental officials. [29887/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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193. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason and when incremental credit for non-teaching service was extended to all post-primary teachers; and if it was to reward teachers for gaining relevant work experience that would enhance their classroom teaching. [29888/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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194. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if, when the incremental credit scheme was extended to cover post-primary teachers, the principle of restricting the award to an applicant's initial teaching position was discussed and agreed at the Teachers Conciliation Council; if not, the forum at which the decision was made to adopt this policy; and if, subsequent to the issue of the original circular extending the scheme to post-primary teachers, it was decided to restrict the award to an applicant's initial position, the reason it was not specified in any subsequent versions of the circular that the award would be restricted to the applicant's initial position. [29889/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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195. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to a FOI request (details supplied), if a record of the type referred to in the e-mail of 6 May 2014 dealing with the role of the appeals board exists; if so, the details of the contents; if a copy of that document will be forwarded; if the e-mail of 6 May 2016 describes applications from post-primary teachers only; and his views on whether the application is based on a person's first post-primary appointment and is not an application of the type, that is, 100 per year. [29890/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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196. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the details outlined in a FOI request (details supplied) are correct. [29891/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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197. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 227 of 21 June 2016 (details supplied), if any applications from primary teachers have been rejected due to the fact non-teaching service was not relevant to their initial position, for example, teaching first class, but was relevant to their second position, for example, teaching sixth class. [29892/16]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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198. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it was specified in circular letter 12/55 that the scheme for incremental credit would be restricted to the teacher's initial position; and if not, the reason therefore (details supplied). [29893/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 190 to 198, inclusive, together.

The criteria for the award of Incremental Credit to recognised primary and post-primary teachers under Circulars 10/2001, 29/2007 and 29/2010 was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council. This Council is comprised of representatives of teachers, school management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Education and Skills and is chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.

In accordance with Circular 12/55 Incremental Credit was originally introduced in the vocational sector to attract candidates with a good standard of general education together with the necessary trade and supervisory experience. The provision of Incremental Credit for relevant non-teaching experience was extended to all teachers on the common basic scale under Circular Letter 4/80.

My Department receives approximately 300 applications for Incremental Credit on an annual basis for relevant non-teaching experience. The majority of such applications are from the Post Primary sector. Under the criteria for the Primary sector the service given must have been relevant to primary teaching and in the Post Primary sector the experience must be demonstrated by the teacher, to be directly relevant to the requirements of the post to which the teacher has been appointed.

In assessing applications for Incremental Credit in respect of relevant non-teaching it has always been the initial teaching post that is considered. Where applicants do not meet the criteria of the scheme their applications are refused.

Where a decision is made to limit or refuse to award credit in respect of a claim a recognised teacher may appeal to a committee comprised of representatives of teacher unions, school management, the Department of Education and Skills and is chaired by an Independent Chairperson. The Appeals Committees act in accordance with theirs Terms of Reference.

The criteria for the Incremental Credit Scheme for Special Needs Assistants (SNA) in Primary and Post Primary sector are set out in Circular 139/2006. The experience must be demonstrated by the SNA to be directly relevant to the requirements of the post to which the SNA has been appointed.