Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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159. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the difference in figures for the cost of restoring pay equality for post 2010 education and training sector employees as set out by him in the Dáil Éireann on 10 October 2017 as €130 million in a full year, compared with his response of 11 September 2017 in which the cost was €85 million for a full year; the factors on which the stated increase in cost of €45 million or 53% are based; and his plans to resolve pay inequality rather than to maintain differentials in which the cost of remediation must increase annually in the absence of resolving same. [47813/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The figure of €130 million includes the cohort of new entrant staff recruited in the education and training sector in September 2017. This includes teachers recruited to fill the almost 3,000 additional teaching posts put into the system in September 2017 to meet rising demographic needs, provide additional resource teachers, provide enhancements to guidance and school leadership and meet the need for additional posts arising from Junior Cycle professional time. The figure also includes SNAs recruited to fill the 975 additional SNA posts to be allocated to schools over the period September to December 2017. In addition, the cost of pay restoration for staff recruited in September 2017 to replace staff who retired in August 2017 at the end of the school-academic year is included. The cost of pay restoration for these staff was not included in the previous figure of €85 million.

The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I have used this to negotiate substantial improvements in pay for new teachers. The agreement reached in September 2016 will see pay rises of between 15-22% (between €4600 and €6700) for new entrant teachers.  The agreements also provide for earlier permanency for younger teachers, new promotion opportunities and new flexibilities in working hours. 

The agreements have restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later points in the scale. This is substantial progress and strikes an equitable balance with other claims for funding on my Department, particularly needs such as enhanced service for children with special educational needs, for disadvantaged schools, for growing schools, for Higher Education and for apprenticeships. 

In education, there is a well-established increment system. Teachers are not paid equally. For example, the pay scale for teachers appointed prior to 2011 ranges from €33,805 to €61,951 depending on the date that the individual began teaching. Part of the negotiation to date has secured a convergence of the scales of recruits at different periods.

I accept that the teacher unions have outstanding pay demands and that the new entrant deal does not travel the full distance that they set out to achieve. However, any further negotiation on new entrant pay cannot focus on just one sector. The recently concluded Public Service Agreement 2018-2020 includes a provision in relation to new entrants which states that an examination of the remaining salary scale issues in respect of post January 2011 recruits at entry grades covered by parties to the Agreement will be undertaken within 12 months of the commencement of the Agreement. An initial meeting on new entrant pay under this process took place on the 12th of October 2017.

The Government also supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants. The recently published Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017 shows further progress in this area.

The new Public Service Stability Agreement would also bring undoubted benefits to newer teachers. In January 2018, a newly qualified teacher straight out of college will earn €35,958. In October 2020, a newly qualified teacher straight out of college will earn €37,692. This is a very competitive graduate salary.