I move:—
That the Secondary Teachers' Superannuation Scheme, 1929, made by the Minister for Education with the consent of the Minister for Finance and laid before the Seanad on Wednesday, 12th June, 1929 under the Teachers' Superannuation Act, 1928 (No. 32 of 1928), be approved.
This is the first scheme, I believe, made by the Minister for Education under the powers conferred on him by the Teachers' Superannuation Act, passed by the Oireachtas at the end of last year. The lot of the secondary teacher, as is generally known, under the old régime was anything but an enviable one. Salaries were meagre, and there was no provision for old age; I believe there were instances of teachers terminating their days in workhouses. It has remained for an Irish Government to remedy that position. In 1924 a salary scheme was introduced under which the Government took direct responsibility for the payment of the incremental portion of these teachers' salaries, the basic portion of the salaries being payable by the schools in which the teachers were employed. This pension scheme, which is now before the Oireachtas for approval, follows that salary scheme. The object is to provide that the teachers will have some provision for their old age.
I do not propose to go into the matter in detail. The Minister for Education is here, and will give whatever information is necessary. But it may be well to note that this scheme that is outlined in this White Paper that has been issued is a voluntary one, so that teachers may avail of its provisions or decline to do so, according as they wish. Many of the teachers in secondary schools are members of religious orders, and they may not desire to avail of such a scheme as this. For that reason, it seems a satisfactory idea to have the scheme voluntary. The scheme is also contributory in the sense that teachers have been required to make contributions towards the costs of the pensions. These contributions, of course, are required only from the teachers who enter the scheme. The manner in which the older teachers are dealt with without contributing to the costs of these pensions is, I think, very reasonable. Such teachers receive two-fifths of their salaries as pension under the scheme as compared with half salary in the case of the teacher who has paid his prescribed contributions, and the rate of pensions in regard to old teachers is reasonable and satisfactory, I think. The scheme is rather intricate, and it will require much more comprehensive references than I have made to it, but I believe that will be done by the Minister for Education. I formally move the motion for approval of the scheme.