Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 17 Feb 1998

Vol. 487 No. 3

Written Answers. - Job Sharing.

Liam Aylward

Question:

301 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will now sanction the correct rate of pay for persons (details supplied) in County Kilkenny whose claim is with the relevant Department for sometime now; his views on whether a precedent has been set in another county; and, in view of this, if he will now arrange to have the matter resolved satisfactorily. [3842/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Detailed arrangements for job sharing by clerical and administrative staff have been circularised to vocational education committees in the form of Circular F11/89. These arrangements allow for job sharing by any two permanent full-time members of staff in the same grade.

My Department gave approval, on an exceptional basis, for an officer to participate in the job sharing scheme on the basis that any substitution or acting up allowances to be paid by the committee to an existing officer would be paid in accordance with terms agreed for such allowances through the conciliation and arbitration scheme for clerical and administration of vocational education committees.

Subsequently, the committee sought sanction for a variation on these terms citing a previous departure which was approved by my Department. My Department has considered the situation and concluded that the case quoted did not have due regard for the agreed terms governing such payments which are of general application in the sector. Accordingly, while my Department accepts that the officer concerned in another county may hold the enhanced allowance on a personal basis only, it does not accept that this can constitute a precedent for the sector as a whole.