asked the Minister for Education if he is aware of the grave hardship being caused to national teachers by the failure of his Department to honour pay increases granted in April, 1970; and if he will now give an undertaking to the teachers to have the increases paid immediately.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Teachers' Pay.
89.
Payment on account of the arrears due from 1st April, 1970, will be made before Christmas and the balance will be paid in the new year.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary not aware that similar awards made to other people in the State service, principally the Garda and members of the Defence Forces, have been paid? In view of the difficult situation in the teaching profession, the failure to pay this award causes the profession to have doubts about the bona fides of the Department. It would be of immense importance in keeping the teachers' goodwill if this money was paid before Christmas.
The Deputy will appreciate that sanction for payment of those particular increases came at a time when the staff in the payments section in the Department were endeavouring to finalise the payment of allowances for posts of responsibility and payment of long service increments, all of which were retrospective to July, 1968. The Deputy might appreciate also the special problems involved in the payments section of the Department, but whatever regrets one has about the delay, the reply I have given will leave no further cause for concern.