asked the Minister for Education if he will state, with regard to the bonus paid to certain teachers arising out of the strike of national teachers: (a) the number of schools in respect of which the bonus was paid; (b) the total number of teachers in such schools; (c) the number to whom bonus payments were made; and (d) the average sum paid to each teacher.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Teachers' Bonus.
The special payment in respect of service rendered during the period from the 30th March to the 30th October, 1946, inclusive, by teachers of national schools which were affected by the strike is being made to (a) teachers in 88 schools; (b) of which the total staff was 934; (c) of these, 416 are receiving the payment; (d) the average sum payable to these 416 teachers is £11 14s.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state, in respect of the bonus payments made to certain teachers arising out of the recent strike of national teachers in the Dublin area: (a) the number of days and the number of hours of duty performed during the strike by each such teacher; (b) the average number of pupils attending the classes conducted by each such teacher during the strike; (c) the average daily attendance of such pupils; (d) the maximum number of pupils under instruction by each teacher concerned on any one day; (e) the minimum number of pupils under instruction by each teacher concerned on any one day; (f) the number of school days on which no pupil was under instruction by each teacher concerned; and further, whether in compiling this information, he will distinguish between lay teachers and the members of religious communities.
(a) According to the monthly and quarterly school returns, which were certified by the managers of the schools, the teachers in question gave regular service throughout the period in respect of which special payment is being made to them.
The information sought in (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of the Deputy's question is not available in my Department and I do not consider that any useful purpose would be served by endeavouring to compile it by inquiries from the schools concerned.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state: (a) the several scales of pay of the teachers to whom bonus payments were made arising out of the teachers' strike; (b) the amount of the bonus in each case; and (c) the basis, in relation to salary, on which the bonus was calculated.
The scales of pay of the teachers receiving the special payment in question were those in operation since the 1st April, 1938, for the different categories of teachers and schools with in addition emergency bonus at the approved rates. As to (b) I would refer the Deputy to (b) of my reply of the 11th instant to a previous question by him. With regard to (c), as indicated in that reply, the payment took the form of a flat rate, the only differentiation being as between principal teachers on the one hand and all other teachers on the other.
What was the differentiation?
As far as I remember it was £20 in the case of principal teachers and £10 in the case of all other teachers.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state the number of (a) lay teachers and (b) members of religious communities to whom bonus payments were made in the Dublin area arising out of the teachers' strike; further, whether he will state, in respect of each category, the number of (i) men and (ii) women involved.
The special payments in question are being made to 47 lay teachers (nine men and 38 women) and to 369 members of religious communities (81 Brothers and 288 Nuns).
asked the Minister for Education if he will state, in respect of the sum of £4,868 provided for the payment of bonus to certain teachers arising out of the recent teachers' strike: (a) the statutory authority under which these payments have been made; (b) the date on which such statutory regulation was made and the legislative authority under which it was made; (c) whether any application was made to him for payments of this kind, and if so, by whom, and on what grounds; and (d) whether, in authorising these special bonus payments, he had regard to special work outside their normal duties performed by the teachers concerned; and if so, whether he will state the nature and extent of such work.
As regards (a) (b) and (d) of the question I would refer the Deputy to my reply to him of the 11th February last in connection with these special payments. The answer to (c) is in the negative.
Am I to understand, therefore, that without any request from those who participated in this strike - breaking expedition — so approved by the Minister—that a sum of £4,868 was paid away to these people in addition to their normal salaries, and that at a time when the Government is pleading that it cannot increase the rates of old age pensions and the pauper rates of non-contributory widows' and orphans' pensions?
I have answered the Deputy's question.
Is somebody on the Front Bench ashamed of this performance? Somebody on the back benches ought to be.