Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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422. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the Irish language allowance previously available to teachers was discontinued; and if there are plans to reintroduce the allowance. [51330/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department implemented the outcome of the public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments (September 2012) by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform which means that many allowances, including this one, were no longer payable to “new entrant” Teachers.

Circular 0008/2013 outlines the effect of this review on teachers to the effect that, in common with a number of job-role based allowances, sanction for payment this allowance was withdrawn from 1st February 2012. Furthermore, if a teacher was eligible for receipt of the allowance prior to 1st February 2012 and subsequently left that job role on or after 1st February 2012 on a voluntary basis, their entitlement to the allowance ceases from the date of the move and they cannot re-gain entitlement.

Additional amendments to Teacher Terms and Conditions, including pay and allowances, can only be achieved through engagement and collective bargaining agreements between the Government and the public service unions. Any further amendments to alter the allowances paid to teachers, whether “new entrant” or not, give rise to significant cost issues and should, as mentioned, be part of engagement and collective agreements between Unions and Government.