Fergus O'Dowd
Question:230. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on entitlements for a teacher (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14717/16]
View answerWednesday, 8 June 2016
Questions (230)
Written answers
I propose to set out the sequence of policy and budgetary measures in relation to appointees to teaching and their pay entitlements that have occurred over the last number of years.
The first measure took effect on 1 September 2010. It requires that, in order to be eligible to receive the qualified rate of pay and allowances, a person on their first appointment to teaching must be registered with the Teaching Council and appropriately qualified for that position. This was introduced for the purpose of ensuring quality and promoting professional standards in teaching and this goal has been strongly supported by the teacher unions.
The second measure was taken as part of Budget 2011. The last Government applied a reduction in the pay of new entrants to the public service. In the case of new teachers, a reduction of 10% was applied to pay and certain allowances and all new teachers were required to start on the first point of the scale rather than the third point as had previously been the case for most teachers. The new pay rates applied to all teachers who were new appointees or who became qualified on or after 1 January 2011.
In 2012 a public service-wide review of allowances was also carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and, pending its outcome, the payment of qualification allowances was suspended with effect from 1 February 2012. As a result of the review, the Government abolished qualification allowances with effect from that date and a new salary scale was created with a starting point equivalent to the fourth point of the previous scale for all entrants to teaching. This reduced the impact of the ending of the qualification allowances and ensured a broad consistency across the public service.
The effect of the above measures with regard to salary for teachers is explained below.
1. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post before 1 January 2011 whose date of first qualified Oireachtas funded teaching service is–
(a) before 5 December 2011, will be paid on the pre-2011 qualified pay scale and the qualification allowances applicable to that scale,
(b) between 5 December 2011 and 28 April 2013, will be paid on pre-2011 pay scale and qualification allowances applicable to that scale subject to the maximum value of the honours primary degree allowance applicable to that scale, or
(c) on or after 29 April 2013, will be paid on the 1 February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.
2. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012, whose date of first qualified Oireachtas funded teaching service is–
(a) before 5 December 2011, will be paid on the 1 January 2011 qualified pay scale and the qualification allowances applicable to that scale,
(b) between 5 December 2011 and 28 April 2013, will be paid on the 1 January 2011 pay scale and qualification allowances applicable to that scale subject to the maximum value of the honours primary degree allowance applicable to that scale, or
(c) on or after 29 April 2013, will be paid on the 1 February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.
3. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post on or after 1 February 2012 whose date of first qualified Oireachtas funded teaching service is on or after that date will be paid on the 1 February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.
According to the records available within my Department, the person referred to by the Deputy was first appointed to an Oireachtas funded post on the 16th April 2007 with Co. Louth VEC. He was subsequently appointed to an Oireachtas funded post within a post primary school on my Department's post primary payroll on the 12th September 2007 and he was employed as an unqualified substitute teacher. In order to be eligible to receive the qualified rate of pay in a post primary school on my Department's post primary payroll the employee must have the relevant qualifications which include a degree and a higher diploma in education. The person referred to by the Deputy qualified as a post primary teacher in 2013 and he is registered with the Teaching Council since the 11th October 2013. His first qualified appointment to an Oireachtas funded teaching post on the post primary sector is 07th March 2014. As this date is later than 29th April 2013, and as set out at number 1(c) above, he is entitled to be placed on the 1st February 2012 pay scale with no qualification allowances.
Unqualified service in the post primary sector, prior to completing the Higher Diploma in Education, is not eligible for consideration when assigning a teacher to the relevant pay scale. In relation to his employment with the VEC /ETB, if he was employed in a qualified capacity by the VEC/ETB, his previous service may be considered when assessing the entry scale. He should apply to the appropriate ETB authority for a statement setting out the capacity in which he was employed, the period of time, the scale point he was placed on and submit the information to the Post Primary Payroll Section of my Department for review.
The Single Public Service Pension Scheme (SPS) was introduced in January 2013 for all new teaching appointees and for staff re-entering service after a break of six months or greater. The teacher in question was not paid on my Department's payrolls for a period in excess of 6 months in the 2012 /2013 school year and he was placed in the new scheme on his appointment. If he worked in any other public service body during that period and did not have a break of 6 months or more from public service employment, he should submit documentation to that effect to the Post Primary Payroll Section of my Department so that his pension scheme membership can be reviewed and amended if appropriate.