James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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355. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine the pay discrepancies incurred by a person (details supplied) when employed by his Department to provide home tuition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20044/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Education and Skills, acts as a payroll agent on behalf of the parent/legal guardian for the payment of the home tuition grant schemes. Such payments are made directly to the approved tutor via the non-teaching staff payroll of this Department. There are currently three rates of payment for teachers registered with the teaching council: a rate for qualified primary teachers who are teaching primary sector students, a rate for qualified post primary school teachers teaching post primary sector students  and a modified rate applied to all retired qualified teachers who are in receipt of a public service pension or any qualified registered teacher providing tuition in a sector other than the sector they are qualified and registered in.

Due to a clerical error the tutor in question was approved for the Post Primary qualified rate of pay. However when the payment claim form was received for the tuition provided, it was discovered that the modified hourly rate of pay should apply as this tutor is in receipt of a retired teachers pension. The tutor was phoned and advised of this error and the correct hourly rate. In addition, she was subsequently advised of the correct rate of pay by letter.