Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 3

Written Answers. - School Services Staff.

Noel Ahern

Question:

333 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Science the situation in relation to payments to school secretaries in primary schools; if there is any guideline salaries recommended by his Department; if the salary should be related to the Department grant; if it is in order for a school board to reduce the salary of the secretary due to the Department grant being reduced because of declining school numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20654/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial services in primary and secondary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978 scheme for the employment of school secretaries in primary and secondary schools under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. While these posts are fully funded by my Department, the secretaries involved are employees of the individual school authorities. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created. It has been superseded in the PESP agreement of 1992 by a more extensive grant scheme.

The PESP scheme provides additional per capita grants for primary and secondary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services. These grants are paid as additions to the standard per capita grants. This scheme does not provide for the linking of the additional per capita grants to any particular payscale. The scheme, by its nature, is flexible and gives boards of management discretion as to the manner in which secretarial and caretaking services are provided. Secretaries and caretakers employed under this scheme are employees of the individual schools and my Department does not have any role in determining the pay and conditions under which they are employed.

At primary level, 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 to date 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 was further increased in this year's estimates to approximately £16.8 million.

The most significant indication of the Government's commitment to supporting schools in this area was the announcement yesterday that an additional £46 million, over and above the amounts referred to above, is being allocated for ancillary services in primary and post primary schools. Under this initiative £46 million spent by FÁS on school services under community employment schemes will be transferred by an Tánaiste from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to my Department. This will include increased grant assistance for secretarial and caretaking services. The transfer of funds will be front loaded with £32 million being transferred in the next school year and the balance during 2003. My Department will be issuing further details and guidelines to schools in relation to this increased allocation.

The progress made by the Government in this area will make substantive and equitable funding available for caretaking and secretarial services in our primary and post primary schools.