Written answers

Tuesday, 21 March 2023

Department of Education and Skills

School Staff

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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614. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that school caretakers will be paid over a 52-week period before the end of this school term, as per the agreement reached with a trade union (details supplied) in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12423/23]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School caretakers are valued members of our schools and I am fully aware of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools. The majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker 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.

Following extensive engagement between my Department, school management bodies and Fórsa, and with the support of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the WRC, in February 2022 a suite of measures designed to improve the working conditions of school secretaries was agreed. At that time I indicated that it is my intention to ensure that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a similar deal but, as recognised in the WRC process, there remains a deficit of data on the working terms and conditions of caretakers. Work is currently in progress to verify and validate comprehensive data in respect of school secretaries, which was collated as part of the implementation process of the secretaries deal and it will be necessary to undertake a separate, similar process in respect of caretakers: this will be progressed as soon as practicable.

My Department continues to maintain active engagement with Fórsa on this issue also.

Photo of Aodhán Ó RíordáinAodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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615. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the SNA allocations for 2023-2024 will be released. [12425/23]

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and advise that the provision of education for children with special needs is a priority for Government and for me as Minister for Special Education and Inclusion. This is reflected in my Department’s 2023 budget allocation of more than €2.6 billion to support special education. This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department of Education’s total allocation for 2023.

Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) provide schools with additional adult support staff to assist children with additional care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate attendance by those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

My Department has allocated 1165 additional SNA’s to schools in the past year and in Budget 2023 an additional 1194 SNA’s are being provided to support schools and will be allocated as follows: 735 to support students in new special classes; 124 to support students in new special school places; and 335 to support students in mainstream classes.

For the first time ever we will have over 20,000 Special needs assistants in schools in 2023.

The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations for the 2023/2024 school year are presently being development by my department and will be advised to schools as soon as possible and in line with previous year timelines.

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