Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address the anomaly whereby non-departmental school secretaries are on inferior contracts and will receive no pension compared to departmental secretaries (details supplied); if he will restore Civil Service pensions to all school secretaries; his views on the fact that his Department overlooked the matter of pensions in its delegation of responsibilities to boards of management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2067/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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A scheme was initiated in 1978 for the employment of Clerical Officers in primary and secondary schools. While a small number of these staff remain in schools, the scheme is being phased out and has been superseded by a more extensive capitation grant scheme.

The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial (and caretaking and cleaning services). Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs and my Department does not stipulate how secretarial services are to be obtained.

Where a school uses the grant funding to employ a secretary, such staff are employees of individual schools. My Department therefore 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.

Notwithstanding the above, in 2015 my Department agreed to engage with the union side in relation to the pay of School Secretaries and Caretakers who are employed using grant funding and to enter an arbitration process if necessary. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for School Secretaries and Caretakers comprehended by the terms of the arbitration process and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 for such staff be phased in over the period 2016 to 2019.

My Department has no plans to develop an alternative scheme for schools to employ secretaries separate to the current system of capitation grant assistance.