Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and Senator Kyne. The Minister for Education has asked me to answer this question about staffing arrangements for ETBs on her behalf. As Senator Kyne may be aware, the arrangements for the allocation of teaching posts and the allocation of special needs assistants in all schools, including ETB schools, are set down in various circulars issued by the Department of Education. As regards such posts, schools and ETBs have autonomy in the recruitment and replacement of staff within the agreed and approved staffing allocation granted to the school in question and subject to relevant procedures and criteria set out in circulars from the Department. The Department also provides each ETB with an administrative and maintenance staffing allocation and an associated pay budget to support its individual ETB schools and head office. It is the responsibility of each ETB to recruit and manage staffing levels within this allocation, including the assignment of such staff to the different functional areas of the ETB in accordance with the needs and priorities of the organisation. In line with the general position across the public sector, every ETB must operate within overall approved staffing and pay budgets for its administrative and maintenance staff. ETBs have discretion to temporarily employ a substitute for existing ancillary staff in schools who are temporarily absent due to sick leave and so on, where the temporary absence would otherwise result in either no secretary, no caretaker or no cleaner being in the school on the days in question, and where the ETB can fund the temporary employment of the substitute from its existing pay budget for non-teaching staff.

However, ETBs are required to seek prior approval from the Department for new posts or to replace existing sanctioned administrative and maintenance posts on a temporary or permanent basis. In considering such requests, the Department will consider factors such as the particular circumstances and needs arising for the ETB concerned, and will also have regard to the affordability of the post, or replacement post where applicable, within the administrative and maintenance pay budget of the ETB itself, and within the relevant pay budget for the ETB sector as a whole. I can confirm that over recent years the Department has, as resources permitted, granted a significant number of additional administrative and maintenance posts to the ETB sector. In the period since 2015, the Department has increased the number of approved posts in head offices by 29% across all sectors. I can also confirm that the vast majority of replacement head office administrative posts sought by ETBs are granted by the Department. For example, since 2017, 85% of such requests have been granted. The Department remains fully committed to supporting ETBs and will continue to work closely with individual ETBs and with the sector collectively to ensure they are adequately resourced to deliver their very important work.