Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the resources available to boards of management of primary schools to fund temporary secretarial assistants when the permanent secretary is on maternity leave. [31164/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978 scheme for the employment of full-time clerical officers in primary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. With effect from 1 January 2004, these clerical officers are paid directly through my Department's central payroll system. The salary cost of temporary clerical officers employed as replacements for full-time clerical officers on maternity leave is also met by my Department and is paid directly to the schools concerned.

The 1978 scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created. It has been superseded by a more extensive grant scheme now referred to as the ancillary services grant. The ancillary services grant provides additional funding for primary schools towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services. The scheme is flexible in nature, giving boards of management discretion as to the manner in which secretarial and caretaking services are provided. It is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the funding to suit the school's particular needs.

The standard rate of grant per pupil under the scheme, which was increased from €102 in 2002 to €127 in 2004, is being further increased to €133 this year. The amount of grant paid to an individual school is determined by the enrolment in the school subject to a minimum grant of €7,980 in the case of a school with 60 pupils or less and a maximum grant of €66,500 in the case of a school with 500 or more pupils, provided the school in question does not already have either caretaking or secretarial services under an existing Department scheme. Where a school already has either caretaking or secretarial services under an existing Department scheme, the rate of grant payable is €66.50 per pupil and the minimum and maximum grants payable are €3,990 and €33,250 respectively.

The ancillary services grant programme provides grants to schools that are not directly linked to any pay scales. Therefore the level and extent of services provided is a matter for the school authorities who, through the discretion afforded by the scheme, apply diverse arrangements for secretarial services as resources permit. As the secretaries are employees of individual schools, my Department does not have any role in determining the pay and conditions under which they are engaged. These are matters to be agreed between the staff concerned and the school authorities.