Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his engagement with stakeholders, including unions and education providers, to resolve the pay and conditions issues of personal assistants who work in some education and training boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6875/23]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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SOLAS allocates the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) to the Education and Training Boards (ETBs), who independently manage the funding allocations to providers for services and accommodations required to support PLC students with disabilities.

Some ETBs engage external service providers to provide personal assistant services while other ETBs directly employ personal assistants.

Officials in my Department have been engaging with FÓRSA on the matter who are representing Personal Assistants directly employed by two ETBs. My Department has also been engaging with the other ETBs and SOLAS to gather additional information on the role and local arrangements, as it applies in PLC colleges.

It should be noted that as per the SOLAS Guidelines for the FSD, where an ETB or Further Education College employs personnel to deliver supports to individual students, responsibility for the terms of employment rests with the individual ETB/ Further Education College.