asked the Minister for Education when he proposes to sanction the bonus granted to part-time vocational teachers by the Dublin Vocational Educational Committee.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Part-time Vocational Teachers' Bonus.
The proposals made by the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee for the payment of a bonus to their part-time teachers cannot be sanctioned. These proposals provided for the payment of an emergency bonus of 15 per cent. to teachers whose present rate of payment was between 5/-and 7/- per hour, of 10 per cent. to those whose rate of payment was between 7/- and 10/- per hour, and of 5 per cent. to those whose rate of payment was over 10/- per hour.
Many of the part-time teachers employed in vocational schools hold other salaried positions and this fact must be taken into consideration in connection with any proposal for the payment to them of an emergency bonus.
The general question of the application of an emergency bonus scheme to part-time teachers employed by vocational education committees has been under consideration in my Department, and if it should be found possible to devise a suitable scheme for the purpose, it will be notified, without delay, to all the committees.
When is the Minister expecting to have a decision on that matter?
I have explained to the Deputy that there is a wide variation in the remuneration of these part-time teachers, and that it is very difficult to devise a scheme which will, on some general principle, treat, according to the Government's intention, those who are in receipt of remuneration equal to or perhaps greater than that of whole-time teachers, and those who are in receipt of much smaller remuneration. The proposals put up by the Vocational Education Committee in Dublin, if that is what the Deputy is referring to, do not seem to me to cover these difficulties. If the committee, or other committees, wish to go into the matter further with the officials of my Department, they will be quite willing to do so.
The Minister says that the whole matter is under consideration. Can he give any idea as to when he expects to have the result?
No.