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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 Mar 1943

Vol. 89 No. 11

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Vocational Education Officers.

asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the regulations of the Department of Education (Technical Instruction Branch) (Memo V. 7) provide that the remuneration of whole-time teachers employed by vocational education committees should include such cost-of-living bonus on the Civil Service scale in each case as may be approved from time to time by the Minister for Finance; (b) whether the bonus for vocational teachers was stabilised as for civil servants at the index figure 85 in June, 1940, by a special Act to prevent any addition to it, notwithstanding the continued rise in the cost of living; (c) whether certain additions to the remuneration of civil servants, in view of the continued rise in the cost of living, were allowed in June, 1942, and December, 1942, and (d) whether similar concessions have been granted to teachers employed by vocational committees in accordance with the Department's regulations referred to; and if not, will such concessions be allowed retrospectively to the dates on which they were allowed to civil servants.

asked the Minister for Education if vocational education officers have been treated exactly similar to civil servants under the Act of 1940, restricting or preventing increases in bonuses, but have been denied the reliefs given to civil servants in June and December, 1942; and, if so, if he will take steps to make the reliefs applicable to the vocational education officers also, and so remove the discrepancy.

Questions Nos. 40 and 41 deal with the same matter and I propose to take them together.

(a) Vocational education committees are permitted, under the provisions of the Department's Memorandum, V. 7, to pay whole-time teachers in their employment such cost-of-living bonus on the Civil Service scale as may be approved from time to time by the Minister for Finance. (b) Under the terms of Section (2) (1) of the Local Authorities (Cost of Living) Act, 1940, this bonus could not be calculated at a figure greater than the figure at which it was calculated immediately prior to that date. This limitation was similar to that made in the cost-of-living bonus paid to civil servants under the Civil Service (Stabilisation of Bonus) Regulations, 1940. (c) Certain additions were made to the bonus of some civil servants in June, 1942, under the Civil Service (Stabilisation of Bonus) (Amendment) Regulations, 1942; and again in January, 1943, under the Civil Service (Emergency Bonus) Regulations, 1943. (d) The former regulations, which amended the cost-of-living bonus paid to certain classes of civil servants in the period June to December, 1942, could not be applied to officers of vocational education committees, owing to the provisions of the Local Authorities (Cost of Living) Act of 1940. Authority has, however, been issued to vocational education committees to pay an emergency bonus to whole-time teachers in their employment of the same amount as the emergency bonus paid to civil servants under the 1943 regulations. This bonus may be paid retrospectively to the date (1st January, 1943), on which it became payable to civil servants.

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