Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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189. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost in 2019 if the ancillary grant rate increased by €5.50 per pupil; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50180/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The estimated full year cost of increasing the rate of ancillary grant by €5.50 per pupil in primary schools is circa €3.1m.

Improvements have been made in recent years for the restoration of grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff. The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable primary schools to implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and to also implement the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation.

A circular will issue shortly outlining further increases in grant funding in 2019 associated with the final phase of the arbitration award for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and also further increases associated with implementing the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of the FEMPI – Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 – 2020.