Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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160. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will revise the ratio of clerical and administration staff to pupils in both primary and post-primary schools to ensure that they increase concurrently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4557/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Funding to cater for ancillary services is made available by my Department under two separate schemes. One is the 1978/79 scheme under which school secretaries and caretakers are paid directly through the payroll operated by my Department. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created.

The second is the capitation grant scheme towards the funding of ancillary services in schools. Within the grant programme, the level and extent of secretarial and caretaking services provided is a matter for the school authorities who, through the discretion afforded by the scheme, apply their own arrangements for secretarial and caretaking services as resources permit.

The amount paid to an individual school is determined by the school’s enrolment.

In relation to post-primary ETB schools, administrative staff are sanctioned to these schools on a banded basis of the number of students enrolled in the school e.g.

- Schools with enrolments in between of 500 pupils & 625 pupils would have an entitlement to 1.5 WTE school secretaries at Grade III level.

- Schools with enrolments in between of 626 pupils & less than 700 pupils would have an entitlement to 2 WTE school secretaries at Grade III level.

Further information is available on my Departments website in Circular 0017/2021 Revision of Grant Rates in 2021 for Boards of Management of Recognised Primary Schools or by ETBs in Community National Schools using Ancillary Services Grant funding

Following a series of engagements at the WRC, a suite of measures designed to improve the working conditions of school secretaries was proposed and accepted following a ballot carried out by the Forsa trade union representing school secretaries.

Work to implement this agreement has now commenced. Included in this are the arrangements for the future allocation of secretarial support for schools following the transfer of Secretaries to the Department’s payroll.