Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 June 2016
90. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the situation where staff who are working in primary schools and are paid under the ancillary grant such as secretaries, caretakers or other staff have not received a pay increase for a number of years, in some cases up to 15 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16100/16]
View answerMy Department provides capitation funding to all recognised primary schools.
Where a school uses the grant funding to employ a secretary or caretaker, 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 this, my Department accepted the findings of an arbitration process in relation to the pay of grant-funded school secretaries and caretakers. The detailed arrangements are set out in Circular 0076/2015 that was published in December 2015 on the Department's website. In 2016 the ancillary grant is being increased by €6 from €147 to €153 per pupil to provide additional funding to primary schools .
