Vol. 495 No. 7
704 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the development of the PESP through combining schools and sharing the facility of a caretaker or secretary, thus providing a service for the smaller schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21389/98]
Since its introduction in 1992, the scheme of additional capitation grants to schools in respect of clerical and caretaking services has been expanded in line with undertakings given in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress. The current position is that under the scheme all secondary schools with 200 pupils or more who do not already have a secretary are eligible for assistance. In the case of primary schools the scheme has been extended to include more schools by reducing the qualifying enrolment threshold to its current figure of 195 pupils, with an ultimate target of providing additional capitation grants to all primary schools with 100 pupils or more.
My Department has already included primary schools in the scheme which share the same campus or building and whose combined enrolments meet the qualifying threshold. However, I am not in a position to extend the scheme at this stage to include schools other than those which satisfy the shared campus criteria.
I wish to assure the Deputy that I remain committed to improvements in the provision of additional assistance to schools for caretaking and clerical services.
