Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the leaving certificate, while I appreciate the Deputy has a different view from me in terms of the leaving certificate, I want to be very clear that I met, listened to and engaged on a consistent basis with all of the partners in education, including teachers, students, parents and managerial bodies and we worked through each of the requests that were there. The Deputy will be aware that there were requests, for example, in regard to grade inflation and I have given a strong commitment in terms of the class of 2022 competing with the class of 2021. It will be kept at the same level in terms of additional accommodations or adjustments being made to papers, which was a very clear request and I have ensured that this is happening. Students have received that commitment very positively. As for the accredited grades aspect, I was very clear that we went through every possible permutation of it and we are not in a position to provide it this year similar to providing it last year, as one student in four does not have the necessary data. To be fair, there was enormous engagement from everybody around the table including from the students themselves. The students and their leadership have acknowledged the difficulties in regard to that.

In regard to guidance counsellors, I am very pleased to say that I am very appreciative of the value and the importance of the work carried out by the guidance counsellors. I am very pleased to say that in the budget, we made provision that there would be more than 100 additional guidance counsellor posts provided for. That is something I am hugely committed to going forward.

As for the Covid-19 measures in our schools to which the Deputy referred, more than €860 million in Covid-19 measures has been provided for our schools over the period of Covid-19 and in this year, €138 million for 2022 has been put in place. Again I will be very clear, similar to last year we had a provision in the budget and then, as always, there is the Covid-19 contingency fund. This year again that Covid-19 contingency fund is available to us. Subject to public health advice, which we have always followed in our schools, if there is an additional requirement for measures in our schools at any point, they will be put in place. I am very pleased to say that we continue all of the infection prevention and control measures in our schools at this point, despite the fact that in many other sectors of society they have moved on. We keep them in place and it is subject to review by 28 February 2022.

In regard to DEIS, I acknowledge the Deputy's ongoing interest in DEIS. There is great interest in the enhancement of the DEIS programme. Since becoming Minister, I have been extremely supportive of the DEIS programme. I know the value of it and the benefit it will be to schools when we are in a position to include as many as we possibly can in it. We have, as the Deputy is aware, a budget of €18 million this year, growing to €32 million next year. This is a substantial budget which will allow us to maximise the number of schools that for the first time will be included in the DEIS programme. We are currently finalising the model. It is my intention that everything will be in place and sufficient advance notice will be given to schools in order that it will be fully implemented by September 2022, the new school year.

I wish to be very clear on school secretaries and caretakers. That matter is before the WRC. The Deputy will appreciate that significant progress has been made via the WRC. Very many people at this meeting, me included, have personal experience of the value and the importance placed on the work of school secretaries and caretakers. The Deputy will be aware that we have now offered to move school secretaries onto a scale aligned with clerical officer grade III-----