Vol. 549 No. 4
304 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether 23 years is a long period for a teacher to have to wait to reach the top of the salary scale; if other groups working for the State, having spent many years in college have to wait a similar period; if he is satisfied that teachers are being treated fairly in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7068/02]
The current common basic scale for teachers includes three long service increments payable after periods of four, four and three years respectively. These long service increments account for 11 of the 23 years referred to by the Deputy. The long service increments were specifically added, following a review of teachers' pay, to reflect the importance of senior teachers and the commitment required from them.
The public service benchmarking body, established under the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, is currently examining public service pay and jobs with pay and jobs across the economy. The issue of the length of the teachers' scale has been raised by the teachers unions in discussions with the benchmarking body. The benchmarking body will report and make recommendations based on all inputs from employers and trade unions in addition to its own independent research. The body has been asked to produce its report by 30 June 2002. In the circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment on this issue at this time.
