Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if provisions will be made in budget 2019 in order to address pay inequality in teaching by ensuring that the lower salaries of teachers who qualified post-2011 are rectified. [40173/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers.

As a result of these changes, from 1 October 2018 the starting salary of a teacher will be €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692.

Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.”

The report laid before the Oireachtas on foot of this provision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform assesses the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million, of which Education accounts for €83 million. The report also acknowledges that, during the financial crisis, there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education). Addressing any issues arising from changes which are not specifically detailed in the report would give rise to additional costs over and above the foregoing figures.

The matter of new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector alone. The Government 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.

On Monday 24th September, I welcomed, together with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the outcome of discussions between public service employers and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay.

This agreement will benefit 16,000 teachers and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provides for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants at points 4 and 8 of their scale.

For example, a teachers hired in September 2011 would see their salary increase from €45,200 in September 2018 to €53,062 in September 2020 under the PSSA agreement and the recent outcome of the new entrant pay talks.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an award that was issued to national school principals in 2009 will issue immediately; and if the findings of the recent review by the PSSA will be published. [40174/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body (issued in December 2007), the Body recommended pay increases for 15 grades, including changes to the allowance payable to Principals of primary schools and of small post-primary schools.

This measure was not implemented due to the State’s worsening financial circumstances. Implementation of recommendations of the Benchmarking Body are a public service wide issue and as such are a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In line with current Government policy, there are no plans to implement the recommendations set out in the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body as they apply to any public servant.

The Government has agreed that Principal allowances, which were reduced under the FEMPI legislation, will be restored to their previous levels in 2020.

The public service agreements including the PSSA have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers.

As a result of these changes, from 1 October 2018 the starting salary of a teacher will be €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692.

On Monday 24th September, I welcomed, together with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the outcome of discussions between public service employers and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay.

This agreement will benefit 16,000 teachers including principals and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provides for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants at points 4 and 8 of their scale.