Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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162. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce measures to regularise the employment of school secretaries including rates of pay, duties, sick leave and pension entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27882/14]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is satisfied with the current arrangements for the employment of school secretaries; his views that the current practice is conducive to inequity among school secretaries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27883/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 163 together.

A Clerk Typist Scheme for the employment of secretaries in primary and secondary schools was initiated in 1978 as part of the then Government's job-creation programme. While a small number of such secretaries remain in schools, the scheme has been superseded by a more extensive grant arrangement. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial (and/or caretaking) services. The flexible nature of the capitation grant schemes allows individual school authorities to apply diverse arrangements for secretarial services to meet their needs.

Notwithstanding the above, a forum was established involving my Department, the Department of Finance (now Public Expenditure and Reform), IMPACT and SIPTU with a view to establishing the factual position in schools regarding terms and conditions (including pay) of school secretaries and caretakers and commencing discussions on the proposal of the unions that an interim minimum pay rate should be introduced. It should be noted that the forum was established with specific terms of reference and was not intended to be a general industrial relations forum dealing with all employment related issues for school secretaries and caretakers.

The first aspect of the forum's tasks was completed. It was not possible to begin discussions on the second element (introduction of a minimum pay rate) due to the State's serious budgetary and financial position, as the introduction of such a rate would inevitably involve an increased cost to the Exchequer. However, it was agreed that the forum would consider appropriate measures in relation to the rates of pay of school secretaries and caretakers in the event that a review of the Public Service Agreements recommended changes to the benefit of those public servants earning €35,000 or less per annum.