Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand the change in the payment date happened in the 2019-20 school year, when the country was in the grip of a pandemic. Without a shadow of a doubt, the minor works grant is second only to teacher shortages in terms of the education queries that come across my desk. The issue causes significant challenges for schools, in particular the payment date. The Minister has said it is paid in April. However, schools have told me that trying to get a tradesperson to carry out work in April is a real challenge because they may have to be booked three or four months in advance. Will the Minister bring the date back towards the end of the year for the upcoming year in order to give schools more opportunity to find a tradesperson?

At the Estimates meeting yesterday, I asked the Minister about the FFSU calendar to next June, which does not have any minor works grants listed on it.

The Minister said it will be provided next year. Are we to take it that the FFSU calendar this year will change as it did in previous years? How will she give confidence to schools, which are trying to budget through a difficult time, that what is on that calendar will be paid when it is due?

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