Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
103. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she has liaised with the Department on Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the accommodation crisis for teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52823/23]
View answerThe 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 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 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” in place until the end of 2023. The value of public pay deals to the Government and the taxpayer is ensuring that pay costs are managed in a sustainable and orderly way and in a climate of industrial peace. The extension to Building Momentum provided for further increases of 6.5% 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, since October, a teacher on point 1 of the scale would earn a minimum of €41,385, an increase of more than €10,000 per annum since 2012. A teacher on the top point would earn at least €77,000.
Discussions on a new public service pay agreement are imminent and will no doubt reflect the challenges facing public servants including our teachers.
