Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 2

Written Answers. - School Services Staff.

Jimmy Deenihan

Question:

528 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if primary school secretaries (details supplied) will be made permanent in the school to which they were originally appointed due to a possible increase in teacher numbers there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23915/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

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 in primary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. While these posts are fully funded by my Department, the secretaries and caretakers 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.

The schools referred to by the Deputy share the services of a full-time secretary under the 1978-79 scheme. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my officials will be writing to all schools involved in sharing arrangements shortly, outlining proposals to allocate the post in its entirety to one of the schools concerned. The other school will then become eligible for additional funding under a more extensive grant scheme that was introduced in the PESP Agreement in 1992. 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. 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.

I recently secured the transfer of £46 million per annum to my Department on a phased basis, as the FÁS school-based community employment schemes come to an end. The availability of this funding has enabled me to make significant progress in relation to the provision of secretarial and caretaking services to schools by putting in place an equitable system of funding for ancillary services throughout the free education school system. My Department will receive a total of £32 million in this school year. Proposals for the dis tribution of the monies received this year at primary and post-primary levels have now been finalised. In the case of primary schools I am increasing the grant for caretakers and secretaries from £40 per pupil per annum to £100 per pupil over this school year and the next. With immediate effect, the grant will be increased from £40 to £60 per pupil. This will be further increased to £80 per pupil in January. As a result, the minimum grant to be paid to schools with 60 pupils or less will increase from £2,400 to £4,800, while schools with 500 pupils or more will increase from £20,000 to £40,000 per annum.

My Department is now arranging for circulars to issue to all primary and second level schools outlining details of the new funding arrangements.