Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of a payroll service for school secretaries by my Department is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and which also includes revised terms and conditions for secretaries. Traditionally, school secretaries were paid directly by the schools and my Department provided grant aid towards the provision of secretarial/administrative services in the schools.

Those secretaries who opted into the new arrangements received their first salary payment through my Department’s Non-Teaching Staff (NTS) Payroll on 14th September 2023. There are currently 2,659 individual secretaries being paid through the NTS Payroll with newly appointed secretaries joining as vacancies arise in schools. In line with the provisions contained in Circular 0036/2022, which was issued by my Department in June 2022, new secretary appointments after 1st September 2023 will automatically be subject to the new arrangements and will be paid through my Department’s payroll.

Work is currently ongoing in relation to the development of a formal model for the allocation of secretary posts other than Department-sanctioned secretaries in Community and Comprehensive schools and those employed under the 1978/1979 scheme. However, there are currently requests for additional/new secretarial resources from a number of schools and these are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis. My Department will be in direct contact with these schools over the coming days.