Allowances of €2.5bn paid out to teachers

Teachers have been paidallowances totalling €2.5bn on top of their salaries over the last five years, figures from the Department of Education show.

Almost half of the €500m paid annually in allowances to primary and secondary school teachers between 2007 and 2011 was for their qualifications.

They range from almost €600 up to €6,140 a year for a teacher with a PhD, and totalled almost €1.1bn between 2007 and 2011.

The other high-cost allowances include:

* Over €75m a year to teachers for an hour a week of supervision duties;

* €950m over five years in management allowances to about 15,000 teachers, including up to €42,500 for principals of the biggest schools (the cost fell €34.5m from 2009 to €173.4m last year due to promotion restrictions);

* €3,000 a year paid to about 800 teachers for teaching in Gaeltacht schools, costing €2.4m in 2010.

Fine Gael TD Jim Daly, who got the information in response to a Dáil question, said a fresh look must be taken at these allowances to find savings in a department that has to implement cuts of €75m this year.

“It is worth considering that the €14m saved on reducing teaching posts in small rural schools represents 4.5% of the money spent on allowances last year.”

The annual cost of total pay for about 60,000 teachers is over €3.5bn out of Ruairi Quinn’s €8.6bn department budget.

A cap has been placed on new allowances for teachers’ qualifications since the budget in December. All new teachers are subject to the suspension across the public service of any allowances being paid until a government review of all additional payments is completed.

The review is being undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which has said the focus is on allowances payable to new entrants.

Unions insist that the Croke Park deal protects allowances, as well as salaries, from further cuts.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland executive decided in February to ballot members for authority to instruct withdrawal from reforms under Croke Park if there was any cut to pay, including allowances.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said qualifications allowances were an integral part of salary and pensions, while other payments were made for extra work needed for the proper running of schools.

INTO president Noreen Flynn said both were protected by the Croke Park agreement. She condemned the decision to review this aspect of pay without consulting unions.

TUI general secretary John MacGabhann said allowances such as assistant principal payments were payable to those who hold middle management positions, such as year heads.

“These posts involve significant additional work over and above full teaching duties in ensuring the safe running of schools and provision of a pastoral service to students,” he said.