Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)

I would to get the up-to-date situation from the Minister for Education on what is happening in our schools regarding secretaries and caretakers. As the Leader knows, caretakers and secretaries turn up every day and are the first there in the morning and last to leave at night, in all kinds of weather. They keep schools up and running.

I know a man in Donegal who is 26 years employed and has four years until retirement, and he does not know if he is entitled to anything because there is nothing there. Caretakers and secretaries are as entitled to a pension as everybody else who works in the public service. They are working day in, day out in the schools. I ask the Minister to find a solution to get this resolved. These people need to be valued too as they are part of the whole plan in the schools. It needs to be sorted soon.