asked the Minister for Education if it is departmental policy to recognise an honours MA degree from Queen's University of Belfast as a pass MA degree in the Republic, and if this is the case whether she has any proposals to have this matter rectified in the interest of justice to those Northern Ireland graduates who may wish to gain employment in the Republic.
Written Answers. - Northern Ireland University Degrees.
440.
For the purposes of determining the payment of special allowances to teachers in respect of qualifications, my Department recognise as honours degrees, in the case of Irish and British universities, degrees classified by the universities concerned as first, or second class honours.
Where Master degrees are unclassified by the awarding university and the results published as pass, or fail only, as in the case of the MA degree awarded by the Queen's University, Belfast, the practice of my Department has been to determine the appropriate level of allowance attaching to the Master degree by reference to the level of primary degree held by the claimant. The allowance at the honours rate in respect of the unclassified Master degree is payable only where the claimant also holds a first, or second class honours primary degree; otherwise the lower pass rate of allowance applies. I do not propose to alter these arrangements.