Michael Finucane
Ceist:188 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction a caretaker and secretary for a primary school (details supplied) in County Limerick. [2173/00]
Written Answers. - Secretarial and Caretaking Services.
My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978-79 scheme for the employment of school secretaries and caretakers under which my Department meets the full cost of salary and employer's PRSI. This scheme is, however, being phased out as posts become vacant.
Arising from the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, a second scheme was introduced in 1992 whereby my Department provides additional capitation grants for primary schools towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services. Under the PESP scheme, schools receive grants of £30 per pupil, based on their enrolments, which are paid as additions to the standard per capita grant.
With effect from January of this year, all primary schools with 100 or more pupils have become eligible for a grant towards secretarial and caretaking services under this scheme. Costing £2.7 million, this improvement of the scheme will benefit approximately 650 schools serving 90,000 pupils. My Department is currently making arrangements for the issuing of these grants to schools. Due to the need to develop an IT programme, and the necessity to verify all school enrolments for September 1999, it is expected that these grants will issue to schools in March of this year.
The Deputy will also be aware that I have secured an additional £9 million in the recent budget, over the next two years, which will enable me to extend and improve the supports available to all primary schools. Details of the implementation of this will be worked out in the near future following consultations and will, when taken together with the earlier move, make a major contribution to assisting schools.
The position regarding the entitlement of the school referred to by the Deputy to grant assistance under the expansion of PESP is not readily available but will be supplied to the Deputy by the relevant section as soon as possible.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:189 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has for the adequate funding of schools for caretaking services; if the grants made available to schools for these services will be increased; the type of school which will benefit; the amount of the increase; if he will address the long standing discrepancies in the system of remuneration to different schools for the employment of caretakers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2181/00]
Currently, my Department provides funding towards the cost of caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes.
Under the scheme for the employment of caretakers that was introduced in 1979, my Department meets the full cost of salary and employer's PRSI. This scheme is, however, being phased out as posts become vacant and there is no provision for the appointment of full time caretakers in posts that are being shared.
Under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, a second scheme was introduced in 1992 whereby my Department provides additional capitation grants for primary schools towards the cost of caretaking services. Under the PESP scheme, schools receive grants of £15 per pupil, based on their enrolments, which are paid as additions to the standardper capita grant.
With effect from January of this year, all primary schools with 100 or more pupils have become eligible for a grant towards caretaking services under this scheme. This improvement of the scheme will benefit approximately 650 schools serving 90,000 pupils. My Department is currently making arrangements for the issue of these grants to schools.
The Deputy will also be aware that I have secured an additional £9 million in the recent budget, over the next two years, which will enable me to extend and improve the caretaking and secretarial supports available to all primary schools. Details of the implementation of this will be worked out in the near future following consultations and will, when taken together with the earlier move, make a major contribution to assisting schools.
The funding arrangements for the provision of caretaking services at second level reflect the different management arrangements in place and are consistent with the way other funding is provided to these schools. Financial allocations for 2000 are currently being finalised and existing provision for caretaking services is being reviewed in this context. The Deputy will be aware that the standardper capita rates payable to voluntary secondary schools was increased from £177 to £184 last year and a further increase of £8 is planned for this year with pro rata increases for other schools.
The matter of equity of funding between the sectors was examined recently by a representative steering group drawn from the second level sector with a view to making recommendations for an equitable and transparent basis of funding for all second level schools. I expect to be in a position to publish the group's report shortly and its recommendations will inform future policy in this area.
I wish to assure the Deputy that I am aware of the needs of schools in relation to caretaking services and I am committed to improving existing provision this year and in future years in the budgetary context and in light of available resources.