Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the options available in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Louth who is employed through the ancillary school grant; if there are any similar funding options or grants for schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46563/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools by means of the Ancillary Services Grant.

Within the grant programme, 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. As the secretaries and caretakers are employees of individual schools, my Department does not have any role in determining the pay and conditions under which they are engaged. These are matters to be agreed between the staff concerned and the school authorities. In addition, my Department does not stipulate any rules concerning how secretarial or caretaking services are to be obtained by the school.

The Ancillary Services grant and the Capitation grant provided for general running costs of the school may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities.