To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any consideration that is given to pay awards for teachers, when considering appropriate pay awards for lecturers at further education colleges.

Further Education (FE) colleges, as employers, are responsible for terms and conditions, including pay, for their lecturers. FE lecturers have received significant pay increases over the past two years. The 2024/25 settlement provided for a revalorisation increase of 5.5% and an incremental increase of 1.1%. The 2025/26 settlement provided a further 3% and 1% incremental increase where applicable.

One of the conditions FE colleges, as employers, agreed as part of their 2024/25 and 2025/26 lecturers’ pay settlement with Trade Union Side (TUS) was to undertake a review of teacher pay scale parity in 2025/26, including the presentation of a business case to my Department. I am advised by the FE Colleges Employers’ Forum (CEF) that the review is currently underway in line with the pay condition and a business case is under development.