Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

18. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if circulars distributed to staff in the education sector form part of the working terms and conditions of those staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19796/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

For many staff within the education and training sector, terms and conditions of employment are determined by or require the consent of the Minister for Education and Skills with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

For example, section 24(3) of the Education Act as amended states that where a teacher is appointed to a recognised school by a board of management and is remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, the teacher’s terms and conditions of employment are determined by the Minister for Education and Skills with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Similar provisions exist in other legislation governing the terms of employment of staff within the sector.

Circulars can be the mechanism used to inform staff and employers in the sector when changes to terms and conditions of employment are determined by the Minister. A recent example would be where Circulars issued to staff and employers to notify them to implement improvements to the pay of new entrants with effect from 1 March 2019.

Circulars are also published by my Department which relate to issues other than terms and conditions of employment, such as on curricular matters. An example of this is Circular 0029/2019 which was issued to inform schools of prescribed material for the 2021 Junior and Leaving Certificate Examinations.