At primary level, my Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services 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 employer's PRSI. However, this scheme has been superseded in the PESP Agreement of 1992 by a more extensive grant scheme.
The PESP scheme provides per capita grants for primary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services which are paid as additions to the standard per capita grants. Under this scheme qualifying schools receive grants of £40 per pupil – £20 per pupil in respect of each service – subject to a maximum of £20,000 – maximum of £10,000 in respect of each service.
I increased the rates of grant by 33% from £30 per pupil to £40 per pupil with effect from January 2000. Furthermore, with effect from September 2000, I extended the scheme to all primary schools. In addition, I have set a minimum grant of £2,400 per annum which is payable to all schools with 60 pupils or less. These improvements mean that for the first time all primary schools now qualify for an annual grant to assist them with the provision of secretarial and caretaking services. The Government's commitment in this regard can also be measured by the fact that the funding allocated for this purpose, which was approximately £5.6 million in 1999, increased in 2000 to approximately £12.2 million and has further increased in 2001 to approximately £16.8 million.
Furthermore, officials from my Department are in discussions with their counterparts in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding the phasing out of community employment schemes in schools. These discussions are aimed at ensuring that as CE schemes in schools are phased out funding equivalent to the amount spent on such schemes is made available to my Department.
One of the effects of a transfer of funding from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to my Department would be to remove the anomalies that exist at the moment in relation to the provision of secretarial and caretaking services to schools. For instance, certain schools currently have the benefit of secretarial and caretaking services under CE schemes and also receive a grant for such services from my Department, whereas other schools are solely dependent on the grants that are issued by my Department. The purpose of the discussions taking place is to transfer full responsibility for the funding of schools for secretarial and caretaking services to my Department. This would result in a uniform and equitable system of funding for such services.
