My Department provides funding towards ancillary services in schools in the form of assistance to schools towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services. This assistance is provided under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978-79 scheme for the employment of school secretaries in primary and secondary schools and caretakers in primary schools under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. While these posts are fully funded by my Department, the secretaries and caretakers involved are employees of the individual school authorities. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created. It has been superseded in the PESP agreement of 1992 by a more extensive grant scheme. The PESP scheme provides additional per capita grants for primary and secondary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services. These grants are paid as additions to the standard per capita grants. The scheme, by its nature, is flexible and gives boards of management discretion as to the manner in which secretarial and caretaking services are provided.
In addition to the funding arrangements outlined, I have provided funds so that schools at second level now also receive additional annual funding of £20 per pupil, with a minimum payment of £4,000 per school under the school services support fund. While provision for secretarial and caretaking support is a particular focus of this fund schools themselves are given discretion as to how precisely the funding is applied.
The Deputy will be aware that I have recently secured the transfer of £46 million per annum to my Department on a phased basis between now and 2003, as the FÁS school-based community employment schemes, CE, come to an end. The availability of this funding will enable me to make significant progress in the provision of secretarial and caretaking services to schools by putting in place an equitable system of funding for ancillary services throughout the free education school system. My Department will receive a total of £32 million in this school year.