Michael Finucane
Ceist:859 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has satisfied himself with the procedures used in de-barring pensioned teachers who retired prior to September 1996 from getting full parity. [17731/99]
Written Answers. - Teachers' Allowances.
Michael Finucane
Ceist:860 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a retired principal, who retired prior to 1 September 1996 and had responsibility for a 35 teacher school, does not receive half of the principal's allowance of a serving principal with responsibility for a 35 teacher school. [17732/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 859 and 860 together, as both concern my Department's decision not to pay the revised scales of the principals' and deputy principals' allowances to teachers who retired prior to 1 September 1996.
My Department's position in regard to the payment of these allowances is based on the advice of the Department of Finance regarding Government decisions taken over the years regarding public service pensions and on the facts regarding my Department's longstanding practice.
A teacher's pay is made up of incremental salary and a range of allowances. It is my Department's longstanding practice that the benefit of an increase in incremental salary will be reflected in the pensions of all retired teachers and that the benefit of an allowance will be reflected in the pensions of retired teachers who held that allowance in pay.
My Department's practice in regard to allowances goes back to at least 1970, when post of responsibility allowances were introduced in the case of vocational teachers. Following further discussions with teachers' unions and school management, they were introduced in the case of secondary teachers in 1971. Although the allowances were payable with retrospective effect, they were not payable to teachers who had retired prior to 1 July 1968, the agreed effective date of establishment of the allowances. The Department of Finance has confirmed that my Department's practice has not been affected by Government decisions made over the years, most recently in 1997, regarding the link between public service pay and pensions.
It was agreed under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work that the revised scales of the principals' and deputy principals' allowances would be payable to teachers with effect from 1 September 1996. In accordance with longstanding practice, the revised scales of the allowances are not payable to teachers who retired prior to that date.
I should add that the allowance in question is related to the numbers of teachers employed in the school and that the scale of the allowance held at retirement continues to be reckoned in the pension irrespective of whether the numbers fall or rise after retirement.