Written answers

Thursday, 9 September 2021

Department of Education and Skills

School Staff

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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540. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of school secretaries who are currently paid under the 1978-79 scheme across all school types. [42182/21]

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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541. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of school secretaries that are currently paid under the 1978-79 scheme across all school types. [42183/21]

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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542. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of school caretakers that are currently paid under the 1978-79 scheme across all school types. [42184/21]

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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543. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of school caretakers that are currently paid under the 1978-79 scheme across all school types. [42185/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 540 to 543, inclusive, together.

The table below sets out the number of school secretaries (clerical officers under 1978/1979 scheme)and caretakers who are paid directly through the Non-Teaching Staff (NTS) Payroll in my Department. As of 25thAugust 2021 there are 263 school secretaries and 65 caretakers.

- Headcount Whole Time Equivalent (WTE)
School Secretary/CO - Primary 153 135.5
School Secretary/CO - Secondary 110 98
Caretaker 65 65

In addition, Boards of Management of schools are responsible for the employment of grant-funded ancillary staff. It is a matter for each school to determine the level of ancillary services required for the school.

My Department provides Capitation Grant funding to all recognised Primary schools and Post-Primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. The two main grants are the Capitation Grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary Services Grant/School Services Support Fund (SSSF) to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. The Deputy may wish to note that schools have the flexibility to use these grants as a common grant.

Further information is available in the relevant circulars on my Department's website at the links below:

Capitation Grant:

www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0038_2020.pdf

www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0052_2020.pdf

Ancillary/SSSF Grants:

www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0017_2021.pdf

www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0082_2020.pdf

In addition to grant-funded ancillary staff, the Community & Comprehensive and ETB Sectors have secretary and caretaker posts sanctioned by the Department and paid through a non-teaching pay grant.

Due to the fact that Boards of Management are each responsible for the employment of ancillary staff in schools, it is not possible to provide information of the percentage of school secretaries and caretakers paid under the 1978/1979 scheme.

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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544. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school principals appointed in County Westmeath from 2011 to 2021, by gender, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42188/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The detailed information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department.

It would take an investment of IT and other staffing resources to obtain this information. It is not possible given that the resource priorities must be allocated to ensuring the payment of teaching and non teaching staff on payrolls operated by my Department to provide this information.

The information that is available in relation to the number of teachers in primary schools on a county basis as provided by the managerial authorities of the schools is published in the Statistics Section of my Department's website.

The link to access the information is www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/

Statistics on a county basis are not compiled for the number of teachers but the information available in relation to the overall numbers including gender is available on the website. The link to access this information is www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/teacher-statistics/.

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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545. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department is promoting any policies to address gender inequalities faced by male and female primary school teachers seeking promotion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42189/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015, which commenced on 1 January 2016, provided for certain changes in the exclusion of discrimination on particular grounds in certain employments (i.e. educational or medical institutions maintained, in whole or in part, by monies provided by the Oireachtas) by amending Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act, 1998.

In Department Circular 0044/2019, section 6.7(vi) of Chapter 3 "Appointment Procedures for Assistant Principals and Deputy Principals (Internal Competition)" sets out that "Interview Boards must ensure that questions asked at interview do not lead to discrimination on the grounds set out in Section 6(2) of the Employment Equality Acts, 1998-2015 i.e. gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and member of the Travelling Community".

Also, section 7.7 of Chapter 4 "Appointment Procedures for Principal & Deputy Principal (Open Competition)" of this circular states "Advertisements must not indicate or be reasonably understood to indicate an intention to discriminate on the grounds as set out in Section 6(2) of the Employment Equality Acts, 1998-2015 i.e. gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and member of the Travelling Community. Special care should be taken in drafting the advertisement, especially in indicating the gender category of the school, so as to ensure that it will be understood by all that both men and women are eligible to apply and will be given equal consideration".

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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546. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the commitments made in October 2020 to regularise the employment, terms and conditions and pension rights of school caretakers; the status of the progress of this commitment made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42205/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is aware of the vitally important role played by school secretaries and caretakers in the running of our schools.

In recognition of this role, special COVID-19 working arrangements were put in place and the Employee Assistance Service was extended to grant funded staff. The Department also previously fully implemented and funded the 2015 recommendations of an independent arbitrator for 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 and officials from the Department and school management bodies have been engaging with Fórsa on the issues. A process of engagement has taken place at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and an understanding has been agreed on a pathway to progress the issues with a phased approach being taken to the development of proposals.

The Department is actively seeking to engage with Fórsa in an effort to resolve the issue as part of an ongoing IR process under the auspices of the WRC. Industrial action would impact on the day-to-day operation of schools at a time when so much effort has gone into ensuring they could open and stay open during the pandemic. The Department would appeal to school secretaries and to Fórsa to defer this planned action to allow further early and intensive discussions to take place.

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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547. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42219/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is aware of the vitally important role played by school secretaries in the running of our schools.

In recognition of this role, special COVID-19 working arrangements were put in place and the Employee Assistance Service was extended to grant funded staff. The Department also previously fully implemented and funded the 2015 recommendations of an independent arbitrator for 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 and officials from the Department and school management bodies have been engaging with Fórsa on the issues. A process of engagement has taken place at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and an understanding has been agreed on a pathway to progress the issues with a phased approach being taken to the development of proposals.

The Department is actively seeking to engage with Fórsa in an effort to resolve the issue as part of an ongoing IR process under the auspices of the WRC. Industrial action would impact on the day-to-day operation of schools at a time when so much effort has gone into ensuring they could open and stay open during the pandemic. The Department would appeal to school secretaries and to Fórsa to defer this planned action to allow further early and intensive discussions to take place.

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