Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise the important matter of school caretakers' pay. It is particularly important in my constituency which embraces two satellite towns in west Dublin where there are large primary and post-primary schools. The caretaking of them is a matter of great importance. It is an anomaly that a primary school with an enrolment of 500 pupils should be treated differently from a post-primary school with a similar enrolment in terms of caretaking. I hope the Minister of State clarifies and gives a positive response to the request that the caretaking of large primary schools be treated similarly to post-primary schools.
In primary schools, caretakers are not recognised by the Department and community minded people working in them do not benefit like their equivalents in post-primary schools. They do not have pension rights or receive incremental adjustments under pay agreements. It is unfair that those who take on the responsibility of caretaking in primary schools should be treated differently. The issue has been raised by a number of boards of management and is a source of continual problems.
The availability of finance for caretakers in primary schools takes a different form from post-primary schools. The Department should provide the same financial support to both types of school and, for example, a minimum enrolment number of 500 could be set which would not cost the Exchequer a substantial sum as it is not desirable that it would. The Department indirectly pays a higher price because of vandalism which could be prevented if caretaking was put on a proper footing for primary schools. Is it the Department's intention to do so, including a minimum enrolment figure? The primary sector continually complains it is the Cinderella of the education system and this anomaly in regard to ancillary staff reinforces that view.