Vol. 505 No. 3
282 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Education and Science if all primary schools will be provided with secretarial and caretaker facilities from the beginning of the new school year in September 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13667/99]
At primary level my Department provides funding towards the cost of caretaking and secretarial services under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978-79 scheme for the employment of caretakers and clerical officers under which my Department meets the full cost of salary and employers' PRSI. However, this scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant.
The second scheme is the provision by my Department of additional per capita grants for primary schools as agreed under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, PESP, and has been in operation since 1 September 1992.
Under the PESP scheme, schools receive grants of £30 per pupil – £15 per pupil in respect of each service – to a maximum of £15,000 per annum, which are paid as additions to the standard per capita grant. The scheme, by its nature, is flexible and gives boards of management full discretion as to the level and extent of the services to which the grants are to be applied. Since its introduction in 1992, the scheme has been expanded in line with undertakings given in the PESP. The priority has been to extend the scheme in the first instance to schools which have no secretarial or caretaking provision already rather than increase the per capita grant rate of £30 per pupil. In this regard, the scheme has been extended to include more schools by reducing the qualifying enrolment threshold to its current figure of 195 pupils, with an ultimate target of providing grant aid to all primary schools with 100 pupils or more.
283 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Education and Science the position on the question of teaching principals at primary level; if he will act positively on the report of the principals' review group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13668/99]
The working group on the role of the principal, which I established last year, is currently examining the rights, roles, duties and responsibilities of principals, both administrative principals and teaching principals, in primary schools. The review group, which is chaired by Teri Garvey, and representative of the partners in education, is addressing the full range of issues of concern to principals. I understand the work of the group is well advanced, and I look forward to reading its report in due course.
In the circumstances, it would be premature of me to comment any further on the position of teaching principals, or of principals generally, in advance of considering the report of the working group.
