Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 587: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether each school should have a secretary and a caretaker. [34159/06]

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 This scheme has been superseded by a more extensive grant scheme now referred to as the Ancillary Services grant.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 scheme provides additional funding for primary schools towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services. The scheme is flexible by nature, giving Boards of Management discretion as to the manner in which secretarial and caretaking services are provided. In this regard, it is a matter for individual Boards of Management to decide whether to employ a secretary and/or a caretaker. There are no proposals at present to change this position.