I move:—
That the Dáil is of opinion that pensions should be awarded as from April 1st, 1934, to all lay assistants and junior assistant mistresses in national schools who retired from the service of the Department between April 1st, 1922, and March 31st, 1934, and who, had the present regulations been then in force, would have been entitled to the award of a pension on their retiral."
More in sorrow than in anger do I return to this subject which has been debated in one form or another on many occasions in this House. In order that the memory of Deputies may be refreshed on this matter, because on many matters of importance unfortunately all of us have sometimes very short memories, it will be necessary to go over some ground, and I propose to ask Deputies to listen to the circumstances which have made it necessary for this House to discuss a motion of this kind. I want to take the mind of the House back to 1920, when, following an agreement between the British Treasury, the National Board and the Irish National Teachers Organisation, a substantially improved scale of salaries for national teachers was instituted. On the making of that agreement there was a definite undertaking given that in the following year an improved pensions scheme would be provided, and that included in that pension scheme would be the classes who are the subject of the motion down for discussion this evening, namely, junior assistant mistresses and convent teachers. When the time came for the redemption of that promise in 1921, circumstances had arisen that will be within the recollection of the House, which made it impossible for that arrangement to be made. The teachers, in this part of the country and the part of the country that has since been termed Northern Ireland, were told they would have to go to their respective Governments for the fulfilment of this promise.
In 1923 the Northern Ireland Government passed an Education Act and the convent teachers and junior assistant mistresses were provided with their pension rights under that Act. Nothing was done in this part of the country at that time and, indeed, so far as a certain limited number of convent teachers and junior assistant mistresses are concerned, nothing has been done up to the present. We hear frequently criticisms of the Northern Government with regard to certain matters and even recently with regard to educational questions in which the majority of us in this country are concerned, because of the faith which we profess, but at least this tribute can be paid to the Northern Government, that all the convent teachers in the North of Ireland obtained justice under the Education Act of 1923. From that period and on various occasions subsequently, agitation for the inclusion of convent teachers and junior assistant mistresses within the ambit of a pensions scheme in Saorstát Eireann, has been proceeding. I do not think that at any time the justice of the claim was denied. There were various difficulties or official delays from time to time and such delays or difficulties bring us along some years when the whole question of teachers' pensions came under official consideration for settlement. In 1926 the then Minister for Education agreed to make an investigation into the state of the Pension Fund, before any new classes were taken on, and later he stated in reply to questions addressed to him by the general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, who was then a member of the House, that the delay, incurred in the making of the investigation I have referred to, would not prejudice in any way the claims of the convent teachers and junior assistant mistresses to pensions. The obvious meaning of that statement was that when the investigation was completed payment of pensions would be made to the persons concerned and that that would have retrospective effect.
In 1933 and 1934 certain reductions were made in salaries of national teachers in this country and the question that arose round about that time took the shape of an offer from the Department to have the whole pension question settled on a certain basis. The settlement of that question involved further sacrifices from the teachers, but the settlement was made and from the 1st April, 1934, junior assistant mistresses and convent teachers were, to a certain number and a certain extent, brought within the scope of the scheme. From the time I have mentioned as the period when the Government of Saorstát Eireann was set up, up to April, 1934, quite a number of the persons whom I have referred to had for one reason or another ceased to occupy their positions. The age limit in a number of cases, or incapacity for some reason or another, caused a certain number of teachers to drop out. The fact that no provision has yet been made for such people is the reason for this motion this evening.
Now, I want to try to give the House the most accurate information that I have as to the number of persons for whom this motion seeks to provide. From a communication which I received from the Minister on the 3rd October, 1934, it would appear that the total number of teachers then outside the scope of the scheme was 65, because the Minister in that communication states that in one class there were 49 such teachers and in another class 16. That will enable the House to realise that, if this motion is accepted by the Minister and agreed to by the House, the amount of money necessary to finance the scheme will not be very great. I think the most important principle involved in this matter is that of doing justice to a number of people who were definitely promised that certain concessions would be made to them and who have not had such concessions made up to the present. I am aware that in the cases of some of the persons concerned very considerable hardship has been their lot in recent years, and I know of some really pathetic cases concerning which I think the Minister can be quite easily convinced that there is need of the doing of tardy justice in the way of bringing them within the scope of the scheme.
I mentioned the number of 65 teachers, but it might very well be— and I think it is more than likely— that that number has been considerably reduced, probably through death, since that figure was made available, and I think that it would be perpetrating a very severe injustice to allow a small number of resigned teachers, in the position to which I have referred, to just dwindle away one by one without rendering them some justice. We are met in this House, in connection with motions of this kind—motions raising a similar principle—with the argument that the cost involved would preclude the application of the principles we press. Surely, however, that argument cannot be raised in this particular connection where the amount involved is really only a very small sum. I base my case on the fact that, as far back as 1920, the teachers concerned were definitely promised that this would be done. I have reminded the House that in 1926, when investigations were being made by the then Minister for Education, the then Minister stated that the prolonged nature of the investigation would not prejudice the claims of the persons concerned in any degree, and I think this House ought to endorse the principle that the teachers, who resigned for one reason or another during the period that intervened before a scheme of pensions for convent teachers and junior assistant mistresses was put into force, ought to have justice done to their claims.
I do not want to make any comparisons, but the members of this House are aware that, even recently, legislation was passed in this House to remove certain hardships that were inflicted on certain people in the course of the last few years. It is no reflection on these people to say that a great many of them—some of them, at any rate—appear to have been in possession of happy homes and considerable means. This is a motion dealing with people who have no means and who, in many cases—in some cases that I know of personally—are living just above the poverty line. I do not think that this House will be guilty of assenting to the continuation of an injustice that has been inflicted on such people. They do not ask that their pensions should be made retrospective over a longer period than is provided for in this motion, and I think the demand is really a very reasonable one. One can very easily understand, over a long period of service, the hope and expectation with which all the people concerned looked forward to the advent of a pensions scheme, and I am sure the Minister and many of us in this quarter and in other quarters of the House have met some of these poor old people in recent years who have been disappointed and who are still hoping against hope that in the evening of their days—an evening that is rapidly closing in on them—something may be done for them. It is true that in some cases they are able to obtain the old age pension, but I submit that the provision of the old age pension in their cases, after the special and meritorious service they gave for many years, is not adequately meeting the case.
I feel that this is a matter on which I could talk at very much greater length and still would be able to find things that would be interesting to say. However, I do not think that is necessary. This case has been discussed in one form or another pretty frequently in the House, and I feel that Deputies on all sides of the House have got the facts pretty well fixed in their minds. I would urge on and plead with the Minister, whether by way of acceptance of this motion or by any other means he thinks fit, to bring the few dozen people who are outside the scope of the scheme, within it. The most penurious person in this country will not complain of the Minister's action in that matter, and I feel that if the Minister does so he will be able to lay claim to doing a belated act of justice to a very deserving section in the community who are, generally speaking, in very poor circumstances and whose hearts have been sickened by the hope deferred that has centred around this whole business for a number of years. I believe the Minister will give some indication, before this debate concludes, of his desire to have this matter closed. It is not the kind of thing that ought to crop up here from time to time. It is not a big financial issue, but there is the important issue raised in it of doing justice to people who have long-waited for that act of justice. I commend the motion to the House and to the very sympathetic consideration of the Minister for Education.
