Joe Flaherty
Question:117. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Education if she will consider the reintroduction of the allowance for teachers in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools (details supplied). [3171/24]
View answerWednesday, 24 January 2024
Questions (117, 120)
Neasa Hourigan
Question:120. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education her plans to reintroduce the allowance for teaching through Irish which was ended in 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3186/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 120 together.
My Department implemented the outcome of the public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments (September 2012) by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform which means that many allowances, including this one, were no longer payable to “new entrant” Teachers.
Circular 0008/2013 outlines the effect of this review on teachers. In common with a number of job-role based allowances, sanction for payment to new beneficiaries of the Teaching through Irish Allowance and Gaeltacht Allowance was withdrawn from 1st February 2012 under the terms of the Circular. Furthermore, if a teacher was eligible for receipt of the allowance prior to 1st February 2012 and subsequently left that job role on or after 1st February 2012 on a voluntary basis, their entitlement to the allowance ceases from the date of the move and they cannot re-gain entitlement.
Additional amendments to Teacher Terms and Conditions, including pay and allowances, can only be achieved through engagement and collective bargaining agreements between the Government and the public service unions. Over the course of recent collective agreements amendments have been agreed including that “new entrant” teachers had the equivalent of an honours primary degree allowance integrated into their salary scale.
Any further amendments to alter the allowances paid to teachers, whether “new entrant” or not, give rise to significant cost issues and should, as mentioned, be part of engagement and collective agreements between Unions and Government. Any review of the eligibility criteria for qualification allowances can occur only under that process.