Conor Lenihan
Question:348 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review the system whereby secretaries in schools are funded on the basis of pupil numbers; and if he will move to a more flexible system. [12658/99]
Written Answers. - School Secretarial Services.
Conor Lenihan
Question:349 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will ensure that every school has its own secretary and is not sharing one with neighbouring schools. [12659/99]
Conor Lenihan
Question:350 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give a statistical breakdown of the number of primary schools with a student intake in excess of 400 pupils who are sharing school secretaries with an adjacent or nearby school. [12660/99]
Conor Lenihan
Question:351 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether it is desirable that two primary schools with enrolments of 400 pupils each should have to share a school secretary. [12661/99]
Conor Lenihan
Question:352 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the administrative burden placed on schools by the absence of a full-time school secretary based at an individual school. [12662/99]
Conor Lenihan
Question:353 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will change the manner in which school secretaries are allocated to individual schools in view of the increasing administrative burdens being placed on school principals. [12663/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 to 353, inclusive, together.
My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial services in primary schools under two separate schemes. Under the scheme for the employment of secretaries that was introduced in 1978, my Department meets the full cost of salary and employer's PRSI. This is the scheme under which a number of primary schools qualified for a shared secretary arrangement. However, this scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and there is no provision for the appointment of full time secretaries in posts that are being shared.
There are 16 primary schools with 400 or more pupils that are involved in a sharing arrangement with another primary school. In the circumstances outlined above, it will not be possible to sanction the appointment of an additional full-time secretary to any of these schools.
Under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, PESP, a second scheme was introduced in 1992 whereby my Department provides additional capitation grants for primary schools towards the cost of secretarial services. The PESP provided for the introduction of a phased scheme of additional capitation grants with a view to expanding the provision of secretarial services to all primary schools with 100 pupils or more.
Currently, all schools of 195 pupils or more, not including schools in the 1978 scheme outlined above, qualify for a grant of £15 per pupil, to a maximum of £7,500 per annum, towards the cost of secretarial services. 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 secretarial services.
I wish to assure the Deputy that I remain committed to improvements in the provision of additional assistance to schools for secretarial services. The position of schools that are currently in receipt of the maximum grant available under the PESP scheme will be examined in the context of any improvements to the scheme which may be implemented in the future.