Written answers

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Department of Education and Skills

School Staff

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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277. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of permitting schools with enrolments of 520 to 700 to fill secretary vacancies providing they have fewer than two posts and schools with enrolments of 650 to 750 providing that they have fewer than three posts. [6380/20]

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The Department provides funding for Secretary posts in the Community, Comprehensive and Education and Training Board Sectors.

A recruitment moratorium was introduced in the Public Service in 2009 which applied to these posts.

At that time alleviation measures were put in place which permitted schools to fill Clerical Officer vacancies so as to maintain staffing levels at a maximum of 1 Clerical Officer per school.

I acknowledged the administrative burden on schools particularly for larger schools and introduced further alleviation measures in 2019 for those with enrolments of 700 and more to allow them employ an additional Clerical Officer up to a maximum of 2.

Funding has been provided as part of Budget 2020 to continue these alleviation measures for the 2020/21 school year.

This funding provides for the further relaxation of the moratorium in the case of Clerical Officers and will permit schools with enrolments of 500 - 625 to fill Clerical Officer vacancies provided they have less than 1.5 and those with enrolments of 626 – 699 to fill Clerical Officer vacancies provided they have less than 2.

In addition to the above improvements the estimated full year cost of permitting ETB, Community & Comprehensive schools with an enrolment of 520-700 to fill Secretary vacancies provided they have less than 2 would be €0.9m and for those with an enrolment of 650 to 750 to fill Secretary vacancies provided they have less than 3 would be €0.96m.

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