Alan Shatter
Question:35 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Education and Science his policy for the development of caretaker and secretarial services in schools. [25222/99]
Written Answers. - Secretarial and Caretaking Services.
Existing funding arrangements for schools includes provision for the purpose of providing secretarial and caretaking services in schools. The way in which this provision is made reflects the different management and ownership arrangements for primary and second-level schools and is consistent with the manner in which financial allocations are made to each type of school.
My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978-79 scheme for the employment of school secretaries and caretakers under which my Department meets the full cost of salary and employers' PRSI. This scheme is, however, being phased out as posts become vacant.
Arising from the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, a second scheme was introduced in 1992 whereby my Department provides additional capitation grants for primary schools towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services.
The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced that, with effect from January next, all primary schools with 100 or more pupils will be eligible for a grant towards secretarial and caretaking services under this scheme. Costing £2.7 million, this improvement will benefit 650 schools serving 90,000 pupils.
The position in relation to second level is as follows: the allocation of caretaking and secretarial posts in the vocational education sector is made on a scheme wide basis and it is a matter for each committee to deploy the staff as it sees fit. Most schools in this sector have the services of a full-time caretaker and a secretary; community and comprehensive schools have a full-time secretary and caretaker and schools with an enrolment in excess of 500 pupils have two full-time secretaries; and secondary schools with enrolments of 200 or more pupils and not covered by the 1978 scheme, for school secretaries, are in receipt of additional per capita grants towards the provision of caretaking and secretarial services.
I assure the Deputy that 1 remain committed to improvements in the provision of additional assistance to schools for caretaking and clerical services. The Government's unequalled commitment to education can be seen by the fact that, before today's budget, my Department's allocation for 2000 already stands 45 per cent higher than the figure provided in the 1997 budget. I am confident that, over the next year, we will be in a position to introduce further significant improvements in the area raised by the Deputy.