Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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340. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the terms and conditions of employment and pensions of school secretaries (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31163/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I am keenly aware of the vital role contributed by school secretaries within school communities and I recognise the very important work done by these staff, and the other support staff in the running of our schools. I have met with Fórsa, who represent many of the secretaries working in schools.

In recognition of their role, I have put special arrangements in place for this school year whereby schools will be funded to employ a replacement secretary or caretaker in the event that staff who are at very high risk of contracting serious illness from COVID-19 cannot work on the school premises. I have also extended the Employee Assistance Service to all school staff including secretaries.

The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff are employees of individual schools and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school.

On foot of a Chairman’s Note to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, my Department implemented the 2015 recommendations of an independent arbitrator. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 be phased in over that period.

Fórsa trade union has tabled a follow-on claim from the 2015 agreement. Officials from my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and School Management Bodies met with Fórsa on 1 October under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission.

I support the continued meaningful dialogue between the parties with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable solution. In that respect, I have asked my officials to examine closely pay issues for secretaries and caretakers, as well as very important wider matters relating to their conditions of work, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I welcome Fórsa’s recent announcement to defer industrial action and their commitment to resuming engagement with all parties at the WRC.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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341. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full-year cost of providing 100 additional English teachers as additional language posts. [31169/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Special Education Teaching allocation, as outlined in Circulars 0007/2019 (primary schools) and 0008/2019 (post primary schools), provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years.

Further temporary Language Support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils that require language (EAL) support. At primary level, these allocations are made on the basis of appeals by schools to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board and at post-primary level to the Post Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

The staffing arrangements for primary and post primary schools for the 2020/21 school year, as set out in Circular 0018/2020 (primary) and Circulars 0013/2020, 0014/2020 and 0015/2020 (post primary), which are available on the Department website, provides details on the staffing appeal process.

The cost of providing an additional 100 EAL teachers would be in the region of €5m per annum.