Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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258. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department will review Circular 0015/2015 in respect of the requirement for rolled-up holiday pay, in view of the difficulties faced by staff over the Christmas period; if he will consider introducing a system whereby staff can access unused holiday pay in advance of Christmas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16258/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Prior to August 2015, the daily/hourly rates paid to casual and non-casual teachers per day/hour worked included an element in respect of annual leave. This practice was known as ‘rolled-up holiday pay’.

The practice was changed with effect from 1 September 2015 to bring the method of remunerating casual and non casual teachers into line with the European Union Working Time Directive following a decision of the European Commission. The terms of the revised payment arrangements are outlined in Circular 0015/2015.  Accordingly, casual and non-casual teachers employed by schools and ETBs are no longer paid ‘rolled-up holiday pay’ and now receive a separate payment in respect of annual leave.

There is no reduction in the overall take-home pay of the individual teacher under the revised arrangements. The method devised involves extracting a percentage from the current hourly/daily rate paid to the teacher and then paying that percentage back to the teacher at the next school holiday period. In accordance with Circular 0015/2015, payments in respect of annual leave are made to teachers at the Christmas holidays, Easter holidays and summer holidays in respect of hours worked in the previous term. Any entitlement to holiday pay up to the day of payment is paid at these times. 

Circular 0015/2015 was agreed through the Teachers Conciliation Council, which is the recognised forum for considering the terms of employment of teachers and comprises representatives of the teacher unions and school management bodies as well as my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.