I move:—
That the National School Teachers' Superannuation (Amendment) Scheme, 1948, made by the Minister for Education, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, be confirmed.
The principal provisions of these regulations are contained in paragraphs 5 to 10. Paragraph 5 deals with the matter discussed here when the 1947 amendment of the superannuation scheme was being dealt with. Briefly, the position is that primary schools conducted by the Irish Christian Brothers did not become national schools until the years 1925-26. Some of the lay teachers in these schools had given service previously which cannot at present be counted for pension as the schools were not national schools. It has since been felt that these teachers had a strong claim for recognition of that service and the paragraph now gives them two-thirds credit for pension purposes for such service, as in the case of lay teachers at that time in national schools. Something similar was done for the teachers in industrial schools when the 1942 amendment was being passed.
The teachers who were on strike in 1946 received no salary for that period and, consequently, as the existing schemes stand, have lost the time for pension purposes. This paragraph provides that in the case of those teachers who resumed duty at the conclusion of the strike the period of absence shall be reckonable as pensionable service for the purposes of the superannuation schemes. Incremental credit, for which authority of the Oireachtas is not required, has already been allowed and the present scheme gives the teachers pensionable credit for that period. The cost of this concession is inconsiderable and I am sure that, at this hour of the day, the House will agree with the proposal.
Paragraph 7 prescribes that service after the age of 65 years shall not be pensionable. Normally, all teachers retire not later than 65, but there are cases from time to time where permission to serve beyond that age, or to re-employ those who had retired at 65 has to be given owing to a shortage of teachers in perhaps a particular area or at a particular time of the year. The teacher who is continued after 65 will, of course, draw his appropriate salary for such service but it is a rounding off of the pension scheme that is being arranged here, that is, that service after 65 will not be reckonable for pension purposes.
Paragraph 8 is an "abatement" clause. It is customary in official superannuation schemes to provide that, where a pensioner is re-employed in some other capacity and remunerated out of State moneys, the remuneration of the new post shall not raise his income from the two sources beyond that on which the pension was based. A provision of this kind has operated for secondary teachers since 1929 and this paragraph now brings it into force for national school teachers. Existing pensions will not, however, be affected by its terms. Lest there should be any misunderstanding from the insertion of the words in brackets "otherwise than as a teacher," I should like to make it clear that these words do not mean that a pensioner who becomes a teacher may draw his pension pay without reference to the restrictions which the paragraph imposes.
The fact is that these restrictions are already imposed by existing schemes on a teacher pensioner who resumes duty as a teacher in a national school and what the paragraph does is to extend the restriction which already applies to them if they were teaching in a national school to other State employment.
Paragraph 9 brings the pension scheme for teachers into accordance with the new scales introduced on the 31st October, 1946. In the case of a school teacher who retires, or retired, within three years after the 31st October, 1946, when the present salary scheme came into operation, whatever pension or gratuity he was entitled to will be based wholly on the new scales. Under the existing schemes the computation of pension or gratuity is based on the average annual salary for the three years preceding the date of retirement; as a result teachers retiring within the three year period in question suffer by reason of the award being based, for part of the three-year period accruing before the 31st October, 1946, on the lower salary scales then in force. This disability has been the subject of representations and the paragraph now proposed removes this disability in full so that any teacher retiring since 31st October, 1946, will receive the full benefit of the improved scales in his pension or gratuity.
Paragraph 10 affects marriage gratuities. They are at present based on the average annual salary for the three years ending on the quarter day before marriage. As women teachers do not always marry immediately after resignation, it has not infrequently happened that the date of retirement falls in one quarter and the marriage in another. The paragraph brings the calculation in these cases into line with other awards, such as pension, disablement gratuity or death gratuity by making the date of retirement the determining factor in fixing the amount of the gratuity.
I ask the Dáil formally to confirm the resolution.