Joan Collins
Question:90. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding newly qualified teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35815/15]
View answerWednesday, 14 October 2015
Questions (90)
Written answers
Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure. The previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale.
Subsequently, following the public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments, the Government decided to withdraw or modify allowances for new beneficiary public servants with effect from 1 February 2012. Under this decision, certain allowances were withdrawn for new beneficiary teachers, including qualification allowances. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale.
These measures were implemented at a time of very difficult financial and budgetary circumstances for the State.
Alleviation of the salary imbalance between those who entered the public service since 2011 and those who entered before that date began under the Haddington Road Agreement. Improved pay scales for post-1 January 2011 and post-1 February 2012 entrants to teaching were agreed and implemented under the terms of that Agreement. In addition, allowances payable to post-1 January 2011 entrants and such allowances as remain payable to post-1 February 2012 entrants were restored to pre-2011 levels.
The Lansdowne Road Agreement has, through salary increases and a reduction in the Pension-Related Deduction, begun the process of restoring the reductions to public service pay which were implemented over recent years. The issue of equalised pay scales was not one which could be resolved in the discussions which lead to the Agreement. However, the flat-rate increases contained in the Agreement will be proportionately more favourable to new entrants to teaching (who are lower on the pay scale) than to longer serving teachers. The LRA proposals have been accepted by the INTO and are currently under consideration by the post-primary teacher unions, ASTI and TUI.
In regard to the issue of the re-engagement of retired teachers raised by the Deputy, it is the policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the managerial authorities of primary and post-primary schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. It is schools that employ teachers and not my Department. However my Department has issued a number of circulars addressing this issue in recent years.
Under these circulars, school Principals must maintain a list of unemployed registered teachers who are available for substitute work at short notice and report to the Board of Management on any exceptional occasion where they have had to engage a registered teacher who is retired. Circular 31/2011 details a cascade of measures for the recruitment of teachers, prioritising registered teachers over retired registered teachers and unregistered people.
A retired teacher who returns to teaching on or after 1 February 2012 will commence at the first point of the incremental salary scale (i.e. the lowest point or starting salary for teachers). Incremental credit for service prior to 1 February 2012, qualification allowances and certain job role allowances are also not payable. This measure represents a significant financial disincentive for teachers who retired at the top of their salary scale, often with a post of responsibility allowance, to return to teaching.
The most recent information available on retired teachers paid by my Department and employed by managerial authorities of schools relates to the 2013/14 school year. 37,012 were employed as teachers in primary schools of which 302 were retired primary school teachers. This compares to 847 retired teachers employed in primary schools for the 2011/12 school year. In Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive schools 20,352 were employed as teachers of which 235 were retired post-primary teachers. This compares to 544 retired teachers employed in post-primary schools paid by my Department in the 2011/12 school year.