Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2005
138 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of a person (details supplied); the terms, conditions and duration of his appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5477/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person referred to by the Deputy is a chaplain in the Irish Prison Service. It is a long established practice that the positions of full-time chaplains in the Irish Prison Service have been filled on the nomination of the local bishop. The bishop writes to the Minister nominating a person to the position of chaplain in the Irish Prison Service. It has always been the practice for the Minister to accept the nomination of the local bishop. Similarly, if the bishop wishes to transfer a chaplain to another chaplaincy position or to a position outside of the Irish Prison Service it has always been the Minister's practice to accede to the bishop's deployment arrangements. It is my intention to continue this practice and this is reflected in the terms of the new contract for full-time Catholic chaplains, which has been agreed with the co-ordinating chaplains group nominated by the Irish Episcopal Conference as the chaplains representative group and which was circulated to the full-time chaplains in November 2004.
The salient points of the contract are a substantially increased level of salary, viz: €48,058 — €49,403 — €50,763 — €52,132 — €53,587, max. — €54,948, LSI, at 1 December 2004. Other benefits include sick leave entitlements that apply to unestablished civil servants, that is, full pay during properly certified sick absence may be allowed up to a maximum of six months in one year and half pay thereafter, subject to a maximum of 12 months' sick leave in any period of four years or less and that the terms of the non-contributory scheme for non-established State employees and of the spouses and children's contributory scheme for non-established employees will apply. Annual leave arrangements in line with standard Civil Service practices will also apply. A personalised contract was forwarded to the chaplain on 26 November 2004 and a letter clarifying the salary issued to him on 25 January 2005. The signed contract has not been returned to the Irish Prison Service. The person referred to was appointed by my predecessor as a chaplain on the nomination of his bishop on 1 September 1998. The bishop intends to redeploy him to other duties in the diocese in July 2005.
