asked the Minister for Education when he intends to make a decision on the recognition of service in foreign countries by teachers so that this service may be reckoned in the payment of incremental salaries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Teaching Service Recognition.
21.
Mr. R. Burke
I would refer the Deputy to my reply to supplementary questions from him on 16th May last on this matter. As I explained then, there is an appeal to the Supreme Court in relation to certain aspects of this matter and, accordingly, the Deputy will apprecoate why I am not in a position at present to consider further the recognition of teaching service abroad for purposes of incremental credit beyond the concessions which already obtain in this respect.
In view of the fact that the Minister sent several propagandist letters, when he was in Opposition, to Irish teachers in foreign countries stating that all he needed was power to grant recognition of this service, could he not recognise the service of those who are not included in a category which has a case sub judice in the courts?
Mr. R. Burke
The Deputy will realise that the way he has formulated his supplementary is unfair.
He will not. I have copies of the letters.
Mr. R. Burke
He can hardly categorise my reply as being as he put it. May I say also that granted that the matter is before the Supreme Court a concession——
Can I ask the Minister what matter is before the Supreme Court?
Contraception.
Mr. R. Burke
The matter before the Supreme Court is the question of a concession to religious teachers on foot of Father Molloy's appeal to the High Court in this matter. The matter is now sub judice and I feel it would stultify my appeal, as Minister, to the Supreme Court against the judgment if I were to grant the claim for recognition for service in Nigeria.
The point at issue in the courts is that of the recognition of a religious teacher specifically. Why can the Minister not live up to his promise to recognise service for lay teachers and there are far greater numbers of those?
Mr. R. Burke
As I explained on a previous occasion, I do not want to place myself in the hazard of being in contempt of the Supreme Court.
As I rarely intervene in these discussions, may I ask the Minister whether he is aware that a person can acquire a first class degree in an Irish university, can acquire a doctorate in an Irish university, can teach for 20 years in an English school and come back to this country and not have incremental recognition of the experience he acquired abroad? Does the Minister think that hiding behind the Supreme Court is an adequate answer to Deputy Wilson's question?
Mr. R. Burke
I am aware of the point the Deputy makes but I think the House might like to know that at the moment, and this is not by way of justification of my action, the facts are that the secondary schools which traditionally absorbed the vast majority of graduate teachers could find this year places for only 630 of the 1,715 graduates who took out their H.Dip in 1974. Outlets to Britain and the USA are no longer available to Irish graduate teachers as Britain since January, 1974, does not accept the H.Dip except for science and maths graduates and several States of the USA are now actually laying off teachers. I do not want to aggravate the situation for those graduates who are coming out of our establishments and who cannot get jobs in our secondary schools. That is not in justification of my position.
Am I to take it that the Minister is now refusing recognition of service to people who are already back here in order to hunt them again to make room for other people? Is that the purport of the Minister's answer?
Mr. R. Burke
I am not making any decision in the matter as I said already.
Question No. 22.
What particular relevance has the last answer the Minister gave to the question I put down?