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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Feb 1963

Vol. 200 No. 1

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pensions of National Teachers.

78.

asked the Minister for Education when it is proposed to pay to pensioned national teachers the increase in their pensions which was promised in the 1962 Budget speech; when it is proposed to give them the arrears of pension which are due to them; and if he will state the reason for the discrimination against the older pensioned teachers.

Increases in full together with arrears due from 1st August, 1962, have already been paid to 1,400 retired national teachers. 1,800 others, who have not yet received full increases and arrears, received advances in November, 1962, and the full increases along with the balance of arrears will be paid next month.

Calculation of the new pension rates in these latter cases presented difficulties owing to the many variations in the structure and rates of salary scales since these teachers retired.

Will the Minister state why it took ten months to decide on the amount of the pensions for some of those old people, and will he answer the last portion of the question?

As I said, difficulties arose due to the many variations in the structures and rates of salary scales since these old teachers retired.

Surely the Minister will agree that ten months is too long. Is the cause of this the fact that the Department did not employ sufficient staff to deal with the matter, that they thought they were dealing with old pensioned teachers who had no way of hitting back and they thought they would get away with it?

We have paid a big number of them and the rest did receive an advance, pending the final settlement. Nobody was left out altogether for the length of time suggested by the Deputy.

When did they receive the advance?

In November, 1962.

And the promise was made six months earlier.

Could the Minister conveniently say is there any immediate prospect of a resolution of the secondary teachers' pension claim, or is there some further delay?

It is being worked on but I could not give the Deputy the information.

The Minister could not give a date but could he say that it will not be delayed very much longer?

Not any longer than we can help.

Will the Minister say why the older teachers are not treated in the same way as those who retired more recently?

The changes in the structure of the salary scales since they retired caused difficulty and the best that could be done in the circumstances was to give them an advance.

But they did not get the same amount——

There are difficulties in calculation. As I have stated, we did give them an advance and there was nothing more we could have done.

The Minister is missing the point. They could have been treated in the same way as those who retired more recently.

The Deputy is going into a wider question now.

But I put it in writing. I shall put it down again next week and it will give the Minister more time to work it out.

If he is here —má tá sé annso.

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