Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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180. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of principals in special educational needs primary schools (details supplied); if this is under review within her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37577/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister and the Department are committed to supporting all staff involved in special education, with the overall investment in special education now standing at a record level of almost €2.8 billion.

Pay and workplace reform measures for all public servants, including teachers, have been governed by a framework of public service pay agreements for a number of years. The current pay agreement, Public Service Agreement 2024-2026 is in place until June 2026 and provides for a local bargaining process to deal with outstanding adjudications, commitments, recommendations, awards and claims.

Any further amendments to Teacher Terms and Conditions, including pay and other terms and conditions, can only be achieved through engagement and collective bargaining agreements between the Government and the public service unions or through the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forum in the Department of Education.

The TCC is the recognised forum for dealing with matters relating to the pay and conditions of service for teachers paid from monies provided by the Oireachtas. It is open to the relevant parties to the TCC to seek changes to terms and conditions under this process and any such proposals would need to be considered in detail by the Council.