Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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497. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the service of school secretaries will be acknowledged under the public sector pay scales when transferring to another State agency given that some secretaries who worked directly for a board of management are given no acknowledgement of service when working in other State jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18230/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The main elements of the package offered to school secretaries include, in recognition of the invaluable work they carry out, moving their pay rates to a scale which is aligned with the Clerical Officer Grade III pay scale on a pro rata basis according to a secretary’s current working pattern. However, it is important to recognise that the majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for these staff under grant schemes, and that 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.

It is also important to recognise that whilst grant-funded secretaries will be placed on a centralised payroll for administrative purposes, they will continue to be employed by their individual schools, which will maintain responsibility for their terms of employment, in compliance with the agreement and are not public servants. There are circulars issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and other public bodies regarding the starting pay of people appointed to public service organisations and decisions on the matter would be for the public body concerned on a case by case basis.