Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The 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. In common with a number of job-role based allowances, sanction for payment to new beneficiaries of the Irish Allowance was withdrawn from 1st February 2012 under the terms of the Circular. 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. The restoration of allowances is currently a matter of discussion at the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC), to which the Department, teacher unions, school management bodies and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform are all party. As proceedings of the TCC are confidential, it would not be appropriate for the Minister to make any further comment while it remains under consideration.