Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

72. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will restore the qualification allowance for teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35179/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. These included reductions to the pay of new entrant public servants, including teachers, since 2011.

Significant measures have been taken to reduce the gap between those who entered teaching since 2011 and those who entered before that date. The most recent of these is the agreement reached with TUI and INTO in September, which in effect reverses the decision to withdraw qualification allowances from post-1 February 2012 entrant teachers. This new arrangement will apply to members of the teacher unions which have accepted the Lansdowne Road Agreement i.e. TUI and INTO.

The agreement substantially addresses the current difference in pay between those recruited since 2011 and those recruited since 2012. It will result in increases of up to €2,000 per year for new teachers at the start of their careers. The increase varies depending on the point of scale that a teacher is on - the highest increase being €7,700 and the increase at the maximum of the scale being €4,300. It is estimated that over a teacher’s career the value of these increases will be €135,000.

The revised salary arrangement will be implemented in two phases on 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018.

When other Lansdowne Road increases are also factored in, there will be a 15% increase in the starting pay of new entrant teachers between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €35,602). For an individual TUI/INTO member who started teaching in September 2015, they will see a 22% increase in their pay (including increment) between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €37,723). In terms of career earnings, this deal in addition to measures already agreed will restore approximately three quarters of the reductions for new entrants put in place since 2011.

The full text of the agreement is available on my Department’s website at the following address:

The Government has also committed to establishing a Public Service Pay Commission to examine pay levels across the public service, including entry levels of pay. The Government also supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.