Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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629. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he aware of the situation in a number of education and training boards across the country, where staff were promised new contracts paying them for non-contact hours, sick leave and holiday pay, but have now been informed that the said contracts will not go ahead for the foreseeable future, citing that the payment system hadn't been aligned and that the SOLAS agency had not approved funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40002/24]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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My Department advised the Education and Training Boards last April on the formal arrangements for the establishment of the new grade of Adult Educator. Subsequently, each Education and Training Board has been consulting with their Adult Education Tutors to determine whether they wish to convert to the new grade or remain on their current terms and conditions. The implementation process is complex including changes to payroll systems where the new terms and conditions are being adopted.

My Department has been informed by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) that this work is near completion and the conversion process should take place by January 2025 at the latest. Adult educators can continue to work on previous terms and conditions while the process is completed.

The Education and Training Boards will be requested to continue with the implementation process for the new Adult Educator grade and to provide my Department and SOLAS with data as to the numbers of tutors converting to the new grade and the associated costs. Once my Department has this data, the budget settlement will be discussed with SOLAS and payments will be made to the Education and Training Boards.