Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is providing a payroll service for school secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of a payroll service 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 also includes revised terms and conditions for secretaries.

Part of the work to on-board school secretaries to my Department’s payroll, involves 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. Work on the development of the allocation model is ongoing and further information will issue in due course.

I am aware that requests have also been received from some schools seeking additional secretarial resources or who wish to employ a secretary for the first time. These requests are being considered on a case-by-case basis, pending the introduction of the allocation model, taking into account the current secretary allocation (if any) in the school and pupil enrolments. Schools seeking to hire additional school secretaries or increase their current allocation of hours should contact my Department at secretaryreturns@education.gov.ie.

I understand that the school in the case that you have raised has not yet been in formal contact with the Secretaries Team working in the NTS Payroll of my Department and should make contact through the email inbox referred to above. Any request submitted should include information regarding the number of pupils currently in the school and the number of secretaries (if any) currently working in the school.