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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 21 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 3

Written Answers. - Secretarial and Caretaking Services.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

399 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether the provision of £2,400 to provide a caretaker and/or secretary to a school (details supplied) in County Galway is inadequate; the plans he has to increase the allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26321/00]

At primary level, my Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services 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. However, this scheme has been superseded in the PESP agreement of 1992 by a more extensive grant scheme.

The PESP scheme provides additional per capita grants for primary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services. Under this scheme qualifying schools receive grants of £40 per pupil per annum – £20 per pupil in respect of each service, subject to a maximum of £20,000 – subject to a maximum of £10,000 in respect of each service.

These grants are paid as additions to the standard per capita grants. This scheme does not provide for the linking of the additional per capita grants to any particular pay scale. The scheme, by its nature, is flexible and gives boards of management discretion as to the manner in which secretarial and caretaking services are to be provided. Secretaries and caretakers employed by schools are employees of the individual schools and my Department does not have any role in determining the pay and conditions under which they are employed.

I increased the rates of grant by 33% from £30 per pupil to £40 per pupil with effect from January this year. Furthermore, with effect from September of this year, I extended the scheme to all primary schools. In addition, I have set a minimum grant of £2,400 per annum which is payable to all schools with 60 pupils or less. The school referred to by the Deputy is one of the schools that has benefited under this phase of the scheme.

These improvements mean that with effect from September 2000 all primary schools are, for the first time, receiving an annual grant to assist them with the provision of secretarial and caretaking services. The Government's commitment in this regard can also be measured by the fact that the funding allocated for this purpose, which was approximately £5.6 million in 1999, has increased this year to approximately £12.2 million and will further increase in 2001 to approximately £16.8 million.

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