Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 January 2024
251. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she has considered the submission seeking the restoration of the premium for teachers teaching through the medium of Irish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3643/24]
View answer252. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if there are any plans to reintroduce the teaching through Irish allowance for teachers in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3647/24]
View answer265. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education if she intends to review her Department's position on allowances for teaching through the medium of Irish; if she intends to reinstate the allowance; if such allowances form a part of her Department’s strategy for increasing the use of the Irish language; and if a response will issue to the concerns of teachers (details supplied). [3769/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 251, 252 and 265 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sanction for payment to new beneficiaries of the Teaching through Irish Allowance and Gaeltacht Allowance was withdrawn from 1st February 2012 under the terms of the Circular.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.
