asked the Minister for Education if she will authorise payment of salary to a person (details supplied) in County Galway who is teaching examination subjects at Oughterard secondary schools and has not received any salary since September, 1988.
Written Answers. - Teacher Payment Authorisation.
83.
The rules for the payment of incremental salary to secondary teachers provide that incremental salary may only be paid to (a) registered secondary school teachers or (b) unregistered teachers who hold acceptable teaching qualifications and who are undergoing the year of teaching experience required to become registered, such payment to be for a maximum period of one year.
The registration requirements prescribed in the regulations made by the registration council provide, inter alia, that an applicant for registration must pass a test of competency in oral Irish.
The teacher in question was notified of this requirement when she applied for registration on 2 October 1987, having been appointed to a teaching post in St. Paul's secondary school, Oughterard, with effect from 1 August 1987. My Department arranged an oral Irish test for her on 6 November 1987, which she did not attend. Further tests were arranged for her on 11 February 1988 and 23 May 1988 both of which she failed. She was not, therefore, eligible for registration when she completed her year of teaching experience on 31 July 1988 and, as an unregistered teacher who had been paid incremental salary for a full year, she was no longer entitled to be paid such salary and she was notified accordingly.
In the course of the current school year, further oral Irish tests were arranged for her on 3 November 1988 and 9 February 1989 both of which she failed. Her final opportunity to obtain the oral Irish requirement in the 1988-89 school year will be in May 1989.
If she passes the oral Irish test she can be registered with effect from the first day of the school year in which the registration requirements were finally met and she can be paid retrospectively in respect of any approved teaching service given subsequent to her registration date. Therefore, if she passes the oral Irish test in May 1989, incremental salary may be paid in respect of her approved teaching service since 1 August 1988.