Written Answers Nos 22-40
22. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he will bring forward the legislation to allow for equal access for all children to schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31578/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraEarlier this year I ran a public consultation process and held a Forum on the role of religion in school admissions.
Under the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, which last week passed committee stage, schools which are not oversubscribed will have to accept all applicants. This means that religion will not be used in admissions to 80% of schools.
It is in the 20% other schools that this issue now needs to be addressed.
My preference is to remove the capacity for state-funded denominational primary schools, where they are oversubscribed, to use religion as a criteria in admissions process except, in three scenarios:
- where it would not otherwise be possible to maintain the ethos of the school;
- where the school is established by a minority religion, in order to ensure that students of that religion can find a school place in a school of that ethos;
- where the school is established by a minority religion, in order to admit a student of that religion who resides in a community consistently served by that school.
As I have said recently, my intention is to introduce more detailed proposals on this in the autumn, with a view to having them enacted by the end of 2017, depending on the process in the Oireachtas.
23. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Education and Skills his contingency plans to deal with the ongoing shortage of adequately trained chefs across the State; the recruitment or training initiatives he plans to introduce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29959/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2015 the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGSFN) conducted a study on the future skills needs of the hospitality sector including skill needs for chefs and cooks.
The report of the study provides a set of recommendations designed to address the needs of the sector to 2020, including the need to establish a National Oversight and Advisory Group, comprising of key hospitality stakeholders, to provide a forum for on-going collaboration to support the needs of the sector and oversee implementation of the EGFSN recommendations.
Established last year, the group will shortly publish an interim progress report, including information on hospitality provision, indicating that over 6,100 people were enrolled on hospitality related courses in 2016, of which 2,464 people were on courses training chefs and cooks.
Arising from Government’s commitment to expand apprenticeship and traineeship education, a new Commis Chef Apprenticeship, led by the Irish Hotels Federation and the Restaurants Association of Ireland working with Kerry ETB is planned to commence later this year with over 120 enrolments. Work is also under way on a suite of chef apprenticeship programmes, including chef de partie, sous chef and executive chef to supplement the commis chef programme.
A new career traineeship programme was initiated in 2015 by SOLAS in collaboration with the ETBs and enterprise to develop more effective models of work-based learning, primarily at NFQ levels 4 and 5, incorporating best national and international research and practice. To date five programmes have been completed in Hospitality with a further nine planned for this year.
A Restaurant and Hospitality Skillnet was established earlier this year and along with the Taste 4 Success Skillnet, will address skill needs in the sector.
The NCCA has recently published a draft new specification for Junior Certificate Home Economics with a strong emphasis on culinary skills.
Finally, the National Skills Council and nine Regional Skills Fora were established in April and will along with Government Departments and agencies monitor provision for all sectors, including hospitality.
24. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to invest in third level mental health counselling; his further plans to ring-fence €3 million for student counselling and supports per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31574/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, along with any funding it receives from private sources, is a matter for the individual institution.
Student services and associated activities are an integral part of the whole student experience at third level. Student services support each individual student achieve his/her intellectual, cultural and social potential while supporting and complementing the formal academic programme. Student services can fall under a number of headings, particularly ‘Welfare and Guidance’ which includes counselling services, health promotion, careers service, multi-faith, racial and ethnic cultural support.
My Department also provides a range of services for students in HEA funded higher education institutions, including supports provided by Access Offices. In particular these offices co-ordinate pastoral and academic supports for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Among the supports administered by the access offices, in conjunction with student services is the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities.
25. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the level of special needs and ASD places at secondary level in the Newbridge area of County Kildare in view of the number of students at primary school due to move to secondary school in which a similar level of supports are not available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31733/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for organising and planning provision for children with Special Educational Needs, including the establishment of special classes in mainstream primary and post primary schools. Special classes offer a supportive learning environment to students with ASD who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class, even with support, for most or all of their school day. Special classes are for students who have a recommendation for a special class placement in their professional reports.
With regard to Kildare in particular there are 942 students with ASD attending schools in the County. Of these, 520 students attend mainstream schools and are accessing in-school supports including Resource teaching and SNA support.
322 students are attending 59 ASD special classes, including 6 early intervention classes, 41 primary ASD classes and 12 post primary ASD classes. A further 100 students with ASD are placed in 4 special schools. The number of ASD classes has increased in the area by 24% since the 2013/14 school year.
The NCSE intend to open an additional 4 special classes in Kildare for the 2017/18 school year, consisting of 1 Primary ASD special class, 2 Post Primary ASD special classes and 1 Post Primary Moderate GLD special class.
The NCSE has informed my Department that, in general, they are satisfied that there will be sufficient special class placements available to meet demand in Kildare for the forthcoming school year.
My Department continues to work with the NCSE to ensure that there is appropriate planning in place to ensure that all children who require special class placements can access such placements in schools within their communities.
During the passage of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill in the Select Committee last week I indicated that I intend, at Report Stage, to include in this Bill a provision that will provide, based on reports and advice from the NCSE, the Minister will have the power to require a school to open a special class or increase the number of special classes in schools identified by the NCSE. Because this power will require a school to provide land or alter existing property I am of the view that the power should be with the Minister who can engage the patron or trustees and that there should be adequate safeguards to ensure people’s rights are protected.
26. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the implementation of the new resource allocation model and the processing of appeals by schools. [31569/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools were published on 7 March 2017.
These Circulars set out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools.
The revised allocation model replaces the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for learning support and high incidence special educational needs, and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocation process which provided additional resource teaching supports to schools, to support pupils assessed as having Low Incidence disabilities.
The new model provides one single allocation to schools based on the profile. Schools will be front-loaded with resources to provide additional teaching support to all pupils who need such support.
The NCSE notified all schools of their special education teaching allocations for September 2017 on 7 March 2017.
The NCSE also published details of the appeals process on the NCSE website: www.ncse.ie.
Schools who wished to submit an appeal were asked to do so by March 31 2017.
Schools could appeal whether the data used to calculate their school profile was correct and complete and whether it was correctly applied in the calculation of their 2017/18 allocation.
DES Circulars 0013/2017 and 0014/2017 outline the basis on which the Education Research Centre determined the allocations for all schools.
In advance of any submission of an appeal, schools were asked to read carefully the DES Circulars and in particular the relevant sections, which relate to the breakdown of the allocation, which may be under consideration for appeal.
The NCSE is now concluding the appeal process and it is hoped that decisions will issue to schools in the coming days.
The model will also allow for some additional provision for exceptional circumstances or where a school’s enrolment levels increase very substantially prior to the next review of the model.
It is acknowledged that there are circumstances which may arise in schools, which fall outside the appeals process put in place by the NCSE in March 2017 (NCSE 03/2017) to support the new special education teaching model. This includes circumstances where the school profile significantly changes following the allocation process e.g. a developing school where the net enrolment numbers significantly increase year on year.
Schools have recently been advised of the qualifying criteria for such allocations. Schools who qualify for additional allocations on the grounds that they will receive additional developing posts in accordance with the primary and post primary staffing schedules for 2017, will also provisionally receive additional special education teaching allocations, less any retained element contained within their profiled allocation.
Schools which have qualified for additional allocations on the grounds of developing status will be notified of these allocations.
The National Council for Special Education will support schools in managing their special education teaching allocations in the first instance. Only in very exceptional circumstances, where it can be demonstrated that the schools profile has changed very significantly since the allocation was made to the school, may an additional allocation of hours be made to the school.
Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers to address the need of pupils with special educational needs have also now been published and are available on my Department's website.
The Guidelines will support schools to reflect on how they can review and manage their timetabling practices to ensure the timetable is sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of all pupils in their school who have special needs. The Guidelines encourage schools to ensure they deploy their resources appropriately to meet the needs of all of the children in their school who require additional teaching support, including pupils with emerging needs, or new entrants.
27. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the provision of additional accommodation for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31681/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
28. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the work which needs to be carried out before he is ready to finalise a legislative proposal regarding the role of religion in school admissions. [31747/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year, I ran a public consultation process on the role of denominational religion in the school admission process and possible approaches for making changes, to which I received almost 1,000 submissions.
On Monday 29 May 2017 I held a public Forum on the role of religion in primary school admissions, which was attended by over 120 individuals.
Under the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, which last week passed committee stage, schools which are not oversubscribed will have to accept all applicants. This means that religion will not be used in admissions to 80% of schools, and in fact this is already the practice in most schools.
It is in the 20% other schools that this issue now needs to be addressed. My preference is to remove the capacity for state-funded denominational primary schools, where they are oversubscribed, to use religion as a criteria in admissions process except, in three scenarios:
- where it would not otherwise be possible to maintain the ethos of the school;
- where the school is established by a minority religion, in order to ensure that students of that religion can find a school place in a school of that ethos;
- where the school is established by a minority religion, in order to admit a student of that religion who resides in a community consistently served by that school.
As I have said recently, my intention is to introduce more detailed proposals on this in the autumn, with a view to having them enacted by the end of 2017, depending on the process in the Oireachtas.
29. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made regarding the purchase of a site for the three school campus in Buncrana, County Donegal; if his Department has made offers to landowners regarding a site; when a site is expected to be purchased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31566/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware the project in respect of the education campus in Buncrana is included on my Department's capital programme.
A preferred site option has been identified and officials from Donegal County Council, on behalf of my Department, have engaged in discussions with the landowner in question with a view to its acquisition, including on potential costs of acquisition. These discussions are progressing subject to clarification on some technical details which are currently under consideration.
Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to provide any further information at this time. I can assure the Deputy that all parties are working to progress this process to a satisfactory conclusion as soon as possible.
30. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration will be given to the need for new buildings for schools in the Curragh, in view of the condition of facilities available to pupils there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31734/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's Six-Year Capital Programme priorities building projects for areas of demographic growth. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed.
While my Department is aware that some consideration is being given locally to applying for replacement accommodation for the Curragh primary schools, no proposal in this regard has been received.
I can confirm that the post-primary school has recently submitted an application for temporary accommodation. My Department will consider the application and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
Additional post-primary capacity is currently being provided in Newbridge and my Department will continue to monitor demographics to identify where additional school places will be required nationally, including in County Kildare.
31. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review all school lands and examine the way in which to protect the lands for the use of schools into the future, in view of recent issues that have arisen with regard to the sale of lands at schools (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31799/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland’s school system is based on the principle of patronage. The school patron is responsible for running the school and commonly arrangements to provide land for the school were made by the patron. Most school property is in the ownership of private entities.
Where the ownership of school property rests with the patron or trustees, it is a matter for school patrons to ensure that the current and potential future educational needs of the school are prioritised.
32. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress on the review of school transport appeals. [31567/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The Programme for Government commits to a review of the criteria and guidelines for the School Transport Appeals Board. The review is underway and is expected to be completed shortly.
33. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether English language teachers will be crucial to the expected 25% growth of international students in the next four years; his further views on whether these jobs must be quality jobs; and his plans to include minimum employment conditions for English language teachers in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Amendment) Bill. [31627/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe International Education Strategy for Ireland 2016 – 2020 contains a commitment to increase the number of students in the high quality English language sector by 25% by the end of the 2019/2020 academic year. A core component of the Government's strategy for achieving this target will be the introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM).
The IEM will provide a full quality framework for the provision of education to international learners in the future. The IEM will be managed by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and only those high quality institutions that meet the robust quality assurance procedures of QQI will be allowed to carry the Mark. It is the intention that the regulations governing the IEM will include a requirement that all obligations concerning national employment legislation are complied with by education and training providers seeking to access the Mark.
The necessary legislation to facilitate the introduction of the IEM is being progressed by my Department. This legislation will also provide QQI with powers to examine the bona fides of a provider in the round, including English language providers seeking to access the IEM.
34. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the implementation of the new reasonable accommodation scheme for exam pupils; and the guidelines provided to schools to assess eligibility under the scheme. [31568/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The Commission in this regard operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate Examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
35. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Skills the responsibilities of the newly created role of the Minister of State with responsibility for higher education; and the way in which it integrates with the existing role of the Minister of State with responsibility for training, skills and innovation and with his Department and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. [29463/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe relevant delegation orders required on foot of the appointments of Mary Mitchell O'Connor T.D. as Minister of State for Higher Education and John Halligan T.D. as Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation are currently being drafted and will be brought before Cabinet shortly. The delegation orders will define and clarify the respective roles and responsibilities on each Minister of State.
36. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm his commitment to keeping so-called legacy posts in place in DEIS schools in the most disadvantaged areas. [31745/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the launch of the DEIS Plan 2017, I made it clear that schools currently participating in the DEIS programme would continue to receive the same level of supports under the School Support Programme for the 2017/18 school year. This includes no change to the current situation regarding posts allocated under previous educational disadvantage schemes in DEIS schools (known as 'legacy posts') subject to the usual arrangements which apply in relation to staffing allocations.
DEIS Plan 2017 continues to provide the same Staffing Schedule, of 20:1 in Junior and 24:1 in senior classes, for schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. A range of factors contribute to determining the staffing allocation for individual schools including changes to pupil enrolment. As the teaching allocation to schools, including legacy posts, is enrolment based, this determines whether schools gain or lose teaching posts from year to year. Schools are very familiar with the Staffing Schedule process and know that fluctuations in enrolment may impact on staffing allocation year on year.
A central aim of the DEIS Plan is to use available resources for maximum impact, in schools where there are high concentrations of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage. As part of an overall goal of ensuring that additional resources are correctly matched to identified need, there are a number of specific actions in DEIS Plan 2017 to ensure that the optimal level of teaching resources is established as part of the DEIS Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
Pending the outcome of this work, which will inform future provision in this area, it would not be appropriate for me to make any commitment in relation to the staffing of DEIS schools.
37. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether the imposition of the pro rata student contribution fee for apprentices is a barrier to accessing apprenticeships, in view of the commitment in the programme for Government to double the number of apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31796/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 2004, FÁS/SOLAS paid a part of the Annual Student Contribution (ASC) due in respect of apprentices, with apprentices themselves paying the part of the contribution relating to examination fees. As part of Budget 2014, SOLAS have ceased making payments to Institutes of Technology (IoTs) and apprentices pay the full pro rata Annual Student Contribution. These arrangements mean that apprentices are treated the same, on a pro rata basis for the proportion of a full academic year they spend in IoTs, as full time students in terms of the annual student contribution. Typically an apprenticeship block is one third of an academic year, meaning that most apprentices pay €1,000 (one third of the full ASC of €3,000) as their ASC for that period.
However, unlike full time students, apprentices are paid a training allowance by SOLAS for phases of their training spent in IoTs. This allowance ranges from €293 to €647 per week depending on the trade and phase of the apprenticeship programme. This is the equivalent to their net take-home pay on the job, and is not subject to tax or PRSI. Such allowances are not available to students in the IoTs.
As the employment and economic situation improves we continue to see strong growth in apprenticeship registrations. At the end 2015, registrations were up 17% compared to the same period in 2014. The upward trend continues with registrations at the end of 2016 of 3,821 a further 20% increase on 2015 registrations.
38. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on reducing the pay scale equality gap affecting recently qualified teachers. [31744/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale, which in the case of teachers had the effect of reducing their starting pay by a further 4-5%. Later in 2011, the Government placed a cap on the overall level of qualification allowances that could be earned by teachers.
Subsequently in 2012, following the public service-wide review of allowances, the Government withdrew qualification allowances for new teachers altogether. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale.
The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I have used this to negotiate substantial improvements in pay for new teachers. The agreements have, to date, restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later points in the scale. This is substantial progress and strikes an equitable balance with other claims for funding on my Department, particularly needs such as enhanced service for children with special educational needs, for disadvantaged schools, for growing schools, for Higher Education and for apprenticeships.
As a result of these changes and taking into account the proposed pay measures under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, the starting salary of a new teacher from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692. If full equalisation was achieved the starting salary for a post-primary teacher from 1 October 2020 would be €43,879 and for a primary teacher would be €41,511.
Further to this newly recruited teachers benefit from the terms of the Ward circular which reduced the qualifying period for a CID and the removal of the career break and secondment categories of objective grounds which had previously prevented some teachers from gaining CIDs. In addition to earlier permanency, other measures of benefit to newly recruited teachers include a revised sequence for the filling of posts to enable fixed-term and part-time teachers to gain permanent, full-time jobs more quickly and easier than before.
It must be borne in mind that the pay reduction for post-2011 entrants to the public service applied to all public servants and not just teachers, and that any restoration of these measures in respect of teachers would be expected to be applied elsewhere across the public service. While I am not in a position to provide an estimate of the total cost of restoring all post-1 January 2011 entrants in all areas of the public service to the pre-2011 pay scale arrangements, I can say that in the case of education and training sector employees, including teachers, the estimated current full year cost would be in the order of €85 million. Clearly, the cost across the entire public service would be substantially higher.
However there are other types of equality that we must also bear in mind, for example equality between public servants and people who work elsewhere or don’t work at all. It would also not be equal or fair for us to do unaffordable deals with particular groups of public servants that mean that we do not have the money left in the public purse to provide increases in social welfare payments for vulnerable groups, tax reductions for people at work, or investments in improvements in public services that people rely on.
Any further negotiation on new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector. The Government also supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
Accordingly, the recently concluded draft Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 includes a provision in relation to new entrants which states that an examination of the remaining salary scale issues in respect of post January 2011 recruits at entry grades covered by parties to the Agreement will be undertaken within 12 months of the commencement of the Agreement.
39. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to research by Trinity College on religious education which found young students do not want to be separated from each other according to faith; his views on the effects of this practice; the policy initiatives his Department has to deal with this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31564/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the research on Community National Schools, carried out by Trinity College Dublin, to which the Deputy refers.
Community National Schools are multi-denominational schools which provide for belief nurturing during the school day. They aim to accommodate parents who wish to have their children learn about different faiths and beliefs while at the same time nurturing children in their own beliefs. Community National Schools are committed to excellence in education, inclusion and valuing every member of the school community.
‘Goodness Me, Goodness You’ (GMGY) is the patron’s programme that underpins the characteristic spirit of CNS schools. GMGY is a common programme suitable for pupils of all faiths and beliefs and none.
In Junior Infants to 2nd Class, the children follow the GMGY programme together for the majority of the school year, exploring common themes. There is a belief-specific aspect of the programme. In the junior classes only, children have been grouped for a four week period during GMGY time according to their faith or belief tradition, in line with the wishes of their parents. Lesson content was designed specifically for each grouping. In third to sixth class, children remain in their class groups throughout the year and learn about different faiths and religions together. Belief-specific teaching is integrated into GMGY for these classes.
As noted in the research, the manner in which Community National Schools deliver belief-specific teaching in Junior Infants to second class is evolving. The majority of CNS schools no longer group children according to their beliefs for a four week period each year, and instead all of the children learn about different religions and beliefs together. I see merit in this approach.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is to commence a review of the patron’s programme in Community National Schools for Junior Infants to second class, starting in September 2017. I look forward to seeing the outcome of the review.
40. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the status of equal pay for equal work for teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26044/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale, which in the case of teachers had the effect of reducing their starting pay by a further 4-5%. Later in 2011, the Government placed a cap on the overall level of qualification allowances that could be earned by teachers.
Subsequently in 2012, following the public service-wide review of allowances, the Government withdrew qualification allowances for new teachers altogether. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale.
The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I have used this to negotiate substantial improvements in pay for new teachers. The agreements have, to date, restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later points in the scale. This is substantial progress and strikes an equitable balance with other claims for funding on my Department, particularly needs such as enhanced service for children with special educational needs, for disadvantaged schools, for growing schools, for Higher Education and for apprenticeships.
As a result of these changes and taking into account the proposed pay measures under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, the starting salary of a new teacher from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692. If full equalisation was achieved the starting salary for a post-primary teacher from 1 October 2020 would be €43,879 and for a primary teacher would be €41,511.
Further to the this newly recruited teachers benefit from the terms of the Ward circular which reduced the qualifying period for a CID and the removal of the career break and secondment categories of objective grounds which had previously prevented some teachers from gaining CIDs. In addition to earlier permanency, other measures of benefit to newly recruited teachers include a revised sequence for the filling of posts to enable fixed-term and part-time teachers to gain permanent, full-time jobs more quickly and easier than before.
It must be borne in mind that the pay reduction for post-2011 entrants to the public service applied to all public servants and not just teachers, and that any restoration of these measures in respect of teachers would be expected to be applied elsewhere across the public service. While I am not in a position to provide an estimate of the total cost of restoring all post-1 January 2011 entrants in all areas of the public service to the pre-2011 pay scale arrangements, I can say that in the case of education and training sector employees, including teachers, the estimated current full year cost would be in the order of €85 million. Clearly, the cost across the entire public service would be substantially higher.
However there are other types of equality that we must also bear in mind, for example equality between public servants and people who work elsewhere or don’t work at all. It would also not be equal or fair for us to do unaffordable deals with particular groups of public servants that mean that we do not have the money left in the public purse to provide increases in social welfare payments for vulnerable groups, tax reductions for people at work, or investments in improvements in public services that people rely on.
Any further negotiation on new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector. The Government also supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
Accordingly, the recently concluded draft Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 includes a provision in relation to new entrants which states that an examination of the remaining salary scale issues in respect of post January 2011 recruits at entry grades covered by parties to the Agreement will be undertaken within 12 months of the commencement of the Agreement.
