Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 March 2014
119. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills to detail the implications for agencies funded by his Department which fail to comply with consolidated public sector pay scales by continuing to make top-up payments to staff; when he expects this issue to be definitively resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10913/14]
View answerThe questions posed in this PQ allow for two separate matters to come under consideration and I will deal with each in turn.
Firstly, it is a feature of public service employment that sanctioned allowances may be payable for the carrying out of additional duties and/or for the carrying out of duties or functions of a higher level. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform undertook a thorough examination of the payment of all allowances in the public sector during 2012. Following this review of allowances, the Government approved a number of measures relating to public service allowances for new beneficiaries.
Subsequent to this review, the matter of allowances payable in the Education sector was the subject of an in-depth consideration by the Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) at its hearing on 24 October 2012. All of the relevant material in respect of all allowances payable in the Education sector was provided to the Committee, as part of this examination, and I understand that this material is still available on the PAC's website.
Secondly, there is the issue of compliance with public sector pay policy which has been raised by the Committee of Public Accounts arising from the Committee's current examination of remuneration practices in Section 38 Agencies in the Health Sector. The Committee wrote to all Accounting Officers, including the Secretary General of my Department who is the Accounting Officer for the Education sector, to seek assurances that public sector employees are in compliance with public pay policy and the Education sector Accounting Officer will respond to this letter in due course.
