Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2015
509. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to recognise grant-paid school secretaries as public servants; if the differences in conditions of employment between such secretaries and her Department's employed secretaries under the 1978 scheme will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2240/15]
View answerSchemes were initiated in 1978 and 1979 for the employment of Clerical Officers and Caretakers in primary and secondary schools. While a small number of these staff remain in schools, the schemes are being phased out and have been superseded by a more extensive grant scheme. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial services. Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs and the Department does not stipulate how secretarial services are to be obtained. Where a school uses the grant funding to employ a secretary, such staff are employees of individual schools. My Department therefore does not have any role in determining the pay and conditions under which they are engaged. These are matters to be agreed between the staff concerned and the school authorities.
Notwithstanding the above, a forum was established under the Towards 2016 Agreement involving my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, IMPACT and SIPTU to examine the factual position in schools regarding the terms and conditions of employment of secretaries (and caretakers) employed using grant funding. However, it was not possible to progress the forum's agenda beyond the initial fact-finding survey, due to the State's budgetary and financial position. It was agreed that the forum would consider appropriate measures in relation to the rates of pay of school secretaries and caretakers in the event that a review of the Public Service Agreements recommended changes to the benefit of those public servants earning €35,000 or less per annum. This is currently the priority for the Forum and discussions are ongoing.
Secretaries employed by schools using grant funding are not regarded as public servants except for the purposes of the pay reduction under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009, due to the definition of "public servant" used in that Act. The fact that such staff come within the definition of "public servant" solely for the purposes of the Act does not alter their employment status in any other respect.
