Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her proposals to grant equality of conditions to primary school secretaries and caretakers who are currently being paid from school ancillary grants, with their colleagues, who are paid directly from her Department under the 1979 agreement. [12561/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary and secondary schools under two separate schemes. One is the 1978-79 scheme under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. These staff members are paid directly through my Department's payroll. The 1978-79 scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created.

The 1978-79 scheme has been superseded by a more extensive school support grant scheme towards the funding of ancillary services in schools including secretarial and caretaking services. The scheme is flexible giving boards of management and schools discretion as to the manner in which these services are provided. There are no plans to pay the school secretaries and caretakers funded under this scheme directly through my Department's payroll.