Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 485: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on altering the funding arrangements of the employment of part-tine secretaries in schools, in order that the drop in enrolment numbers would not result in a reduction in the money available to a school to employ their secretary, bearing in mind that it is Government policy to reduce class size and with it the maximum number of pupils in a school of a given number of classrooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30853/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978/79 scheme for the employment of full-time secretaries and caretakers in primary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created. This scheme has been superseded by a more extensive grant scheme now referred to as the Ancillary Services grant.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 does not provide for the linking of the grants to any particular pay scale and is flexible by nature, giving Boards of management discretion as to the manner in which secretarial and caretaking services are provided. The amount of grant paid to an individual school is determined by the enrolment in the school. The standard rate of grant was increased from €133 per pupil in 2005 to €139 per pupil in 2006. 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 and caretaking services as resources permit. It is a matter for each individual school, to decide how best to apply the funding to suit a school's particular needs.

I do not propose to change the basis on which the Ancillary Services Grant is paid. However, the question of increasing the rate of grant in the future will be considered in the context of available resources and priorities within the education sector.