Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 466: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will challenge national wage agreements in his request to the school completion programme to cut salaries by 3% in respect of a school (details supplied); and the alternative avenues of action or funding acceptable to his Department which would keep this important programme open. [37030/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The School Completion Programme encompasses both primary and post-primary levels and focuses on young people between the ages of 4 and 18 years and is designed to deal with issues of both concentrated and regionally dispersed disadvantage. SCP is a key component of DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion, which discriminates positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving. At present there are 124 projects, comprising 692 schools participating in the School Completion Programme.

As you are aware the Government announced on 8th July 2008 a series of public spending measures in response to the deterioration in the public finances. In common with other Departments, my Department is required to reduce its payroll bill and that of its agencies by 3% by the end of 2009, through all appropriate measures identified by local management in the light of local circumstances.

In the Department's letter of 21st August 2008, all SCP projects were advised that they have the authority to manage how the savings are to be achieved. This is to facilitate projects in their efforts to ensure that these necessary steps will be applied in such a manner as to minimise their effect on young people targeted and to prioritise those activities which are found to be of most value in supporting the young people concerned.

In implementing this decision local Managers will have an opportunity to consider measures which might include the control of premium pay, the management of existing or future vacancies, the organisation of work processes and the levels at which work is carried out, as well as control of numbers through recruitment and other measures. This requirement will not have a universal effect on all 124 projects, as projects vary in size, number of schools involved and the number and status of personnel employed and the types of interventions in place.

Under the terms of the Government decision, the allocation for the pay element of the School Completion Programme in 2009 will be framed on the basis that a saving of 3% will be achieved when the pay bill is adjusted to include the full-year cost of Towards 2016 increases payable in 2008. In line with the above, the 2008/09 allocation for SCP projects will be adjusted to reflect increases due under Towards 2016 in 2008 and a saving of 3% in payroll costs for 2009. As this process is ongoing, there has been no effect to date on the services provided by any of the participating projects.

It is envisaged that the savings requested, will lead to rationalisation, with more efficient and cost effective measures being implemented. In this way, it is not expected that there will be any significant diminution of front-line services.