Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2019
184. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 253 of 2 July 2019, if the costing relating to the island teaching allowance and persons employed in education and training boards has been collated. [42953/19]
View answerFurther to the information which I provided in July 2019 relating to the island allowance the Deputy will be aware of the background to this situation which arose in 2012 following the need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure including a review of public service-wide allowances and premium payments.
At that time any person who was in receipt of the relevant allowances on the 31 January 2012 continued to be paid that allowance except where that teacher ceased that job role or changed school or employer on or after 1 February 2012. Where a teacher is redeployed under the agreed redeployment scheme this will not be regarded as a cessation.
Officials in my Department have collated the number of teaching posts in schools under the patronage of Education and Training Boards (ETBs) where the post holders concerned do not currently hold the island allowance. This information has been provided to my Department directly from the ETBs concerned.
The annual cost of restoring the island allowance to teachers in ETB schools who do not currently hold this allowance, would be approximately €43,000 annually, including employers PRSI.
