Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will introduce a housing allowance for teachers living in areas with high housing costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13891/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to the delivery of quality public services and will continue to approach public service pay in a balanced way that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and to the taxpayer. However, the Government acknowledges that the housing issue and the current price pressures in society present particular challenges and are a source of concern for all public service workers, including staff in the education sector. Housing remains a priority matter for Government, led by my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Housing for All strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system.

Pay and workplace reform measures for public servants have been governed by a framework of public service pay agreements for a number of years with the current agreement “Building Momentum” now extended until the end of 2023. The extension to Building Momentum provides for further increases to October 2023 (for a total of 8.5% to 9.5% over the entire agreement) for over 100,000 staff in the school sector as well as retired staff.  In terms of teacher pay specifically, by next October, a teacher on point 1 of the scale would earn over €41,000, an increase of more than €10,000 per annum since 2012. A teacher on point 14 of the scale would earn at least €62,430 and those on the top point at least €77,000.

Any review of changes to pay, or other pay mechanisms such as an allowance, can occur only under central processes and any specific proposals would need to be considered in detail by my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the relevant unions.