Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 November 2020
275. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education if cleaners are considered as critical staff in the running of schools; her plans to provide pension rights to long service cleaners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39457/20]
View answerI recognise the important role that cleaners play in the successful operation of our schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan for safe operation through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in line with public health advice. Cleaning is an important aspect of infection prevention control measures in schools to minimise the risk of transmission of infection.
However, I wish to clarify to the Deputy that cleaners in primary and post-primary schools are not contracted to or paid by the Department of Education. Cleaners are employed by these schools directly, using the ancillary grant to schools, which allows them the flexibility of hiring cleaner/s in the most locally useful manner. The provision of a pension is therefore a matter for the respective, individual schools. Schools as employers are obliged to provide access to a PRSA.
The Deputy may be aware that, in line with the ‘Roadmap for Pension Reform 2018 – 2023’, the Government has committed to develop and implement a State-sponsored ‘Automatic Enrolment’ supplementary retirement savings system by 2022. Under Automatic Enrolment, employees without personal retirement savings and who meet certain age and earnings criteria will be automatically enrolled into a State-sponsored quality assured supplementary retirement savings system, with freedom of choice to opt-out.
