Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 Oct 1997

Vol. 481 No. 7

Written Answers. - Additional Capitation Grant Scheme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

313 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason the agreed pay increases have not been applied to the block grant made available to large schools for the employment of a secretary and a caretaker; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the equivalent hourly rate of pay implied by the block grant is far below that envisaged in the Government's own proposal for a statutory minimum wage; and the plans, if any, he has to review this system to provide a fair level of support for this important work in schools. [17201/97]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Since its introduction under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress in 1992, the scheme of additional capitation grants to schools in respect of clerical and caretaking services has been expanded in line with undertakings given in PESP. The scheme has been extended to include more schools by reducing the qualifying enrolment figure, with an ultimate target of providing additional capitation grants to all primary schools with 100 pupils or more and to all secondary schools with 200 pupils or more.

I would like to point out that this scheme provides a grant to schools which is not directly related to any specific pay scale. The grants are based on school enrolments and are paid as additions to the standard per capita grant. The level and extent of service provided is a matter for local school management who, through the discretion afforded by the scheme, apply diverse arrangements for caretaking and clerical services.

I wish to assure the Deputy that I remain committed to improvements in the provision of additional assistance to schools for caretaking and clerical services.