266. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has assessed the average salary differential experienced by a post-primary teacher returning to Ireland whose verified teaching service in a private school outside the European Union is not recognised for incremental credit compared with a teacher with an equivalent number of years of recognised teaching service, to provide illustrative salary differentials for teachers returning following three, five and seven years of such service. [66445/26]

The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department of Education’s Circular 10/2001 for Primary teachers, and Circulars 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. These circulars provide for the award of incremental credit in respect of prior teaching service, including overseas teaching service, both within and outside the EU and/or relevant non-teaching service.

There is no contractual entitlement to incremental credit; applicants must submit a fully completed incremental credit application to have prior service assessed. An award of incremental credit is based on the incremental credit application submitted to either my department or an ETB.

Teaching service given outside the Republic of Ireland by a qualified teacher in a school or college must be deemed to be equivalent to teaching service given in a primary or post primary school in the Republic of Ireland. This includes teaching service given in a public or private secondary school abroad.

Where the service/school satisfies the criteria set out in the circulars to have service at that school recognised for incremental credit, an award of incremental credit can be made, and the applicant will progress on the incremental pay scale in line with the incremental credit awarded. Whereas a teacher whose service is deemed not to satisfy the eligibility criteria for an award of incremental credit will remain at the relevant point on the incremental salary scale.

For example, where two teachers are claiming an award of incremental credit for 5 years of service and the teaching service for one teacher is deemed eligible for an award of incremental credit and the teaching service of the second is not deemed eligible for an award of incremental credit, the teacher awarded incremental credit will advance five increments on the incremental salary scale and the teacher whose service is not awarded will remain on the relevant point of the pay scale.

A teacher on the post 2011 payscale who is awarded incremental credit may also benefit from an incremental skip, where a teacher who reaches point 4, 8 or 12 of the incremental salary scale advances to the next point on the incremental pay scale.

Common reasons why applications for incremental credit for teaching service outside of the EU can be refused are as follows:

• the school is not in receipt of any state funding,

• the school does not offer the range of studies which incorporates all of the courses prescribed on the national curriculum of the State in which the school is located,

• the length of time the school has been in existence,

• the service at the school has not been deemed to be satisfactory

• the applicant was not a qualified teacher at the time the service was provided

The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers were agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) and are subject to review by way of an incremental credit committee, which is a sub-committee of the TCC and which meets on an ongoing basis. Any changes to the criteria must be agreed through the established mechanism in place.