Donal Carey
Question:52 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science the policy and support available from his Department to promote job sharing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11102/98]
Written Answers. - Job Sharing.
Job sharing arrangements involving permanent teachers based in the same school have been a feature within primary schools since 1995. A limited number of job sharing arrangements involving permanent teachers in different primary schools have been in place since September 1997. These latter arrangements are being extended from September 1998.
A permanent job sharing scheme for teachers in second level schools is being introduced for the 1998-99 school year. It replaces the pilot scheme which has operated since September 1993. The terms of the new scheme are outlined in a circular letter which my Department proposes to issue to the managerial authorities of all second level schools in the near future.
In order to facilitate school secretaries employed under the Department's 1978 scheme for the employment of secretaries in primary and secondary schools, my Department introduced a job sharing scheme in December 1995.
This scheme allows a secretary to job share without a partner. This of course means that the school, where the job sharing secretary works, has the services of this person on a half-time basis only. In order to ensure that the school can provide for secretarial services at the times when the job sharer is absent, a capitation grant of 50 per cent of the grant under the PESP scheme for the provision of clerical services, to which the school is entitled, is given to the school in question.
In the vocational education sector, all clerical, administrative and maintenance staff are in a position to avail of job sharing under the terms of a scheme which was introduced in 1989. As the institutes of technology, previously regional technical colleges, had been managed by the relevant VEC on the introduction of this job sharing scheme, the clerical, administrative and maintenance staff in these institutions have access to the scheme. The terms of this scheme are also applied to clerical staff employed in community and comprehensive schools.
Within my Department job sharing has been available since the introduction of a Civil Service-wide scheme in 1984. Applications for job sharing are welcomed from among my staff and every effort is made to facilitate these if possible. At present 96 staff job share within my Department.
A job sharer's network has been established on behalf of the job sharers within my Department which facilitates discussion on issues of importance and relevance to job sharers.