Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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201. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on salary and pensions for caretakers in school settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23577/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Caretakers are valued members of our school communities who carry out work vital to the operations of our schools. At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. Under the February 2022 agreement the implementation of revised salary and annual leave entitlements for school secretaries is now fully operational, and lessons learned from that process are now playing a key role in the drafting and implementation of a similar deal to be offered to grant funded school caretakers.

The Department is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail a similar package offered to school secretaries of revised salary and annual leave entitlements in the near future.

At present, work is ongoing to finalise and issue a compressive survey which will enable my officials to confirm their understanding of the current working patters as well as terms and conditions of work for school caretakers. In parallel with this, the Department are actively in communication with Fórsa on this important issue and regular bilateral meetings are occurring. Matters discussed have contributed to a clearer understanding of the differences in existing terms and conditions of caretakers to secretaries and have been helpful in forming and developing the upcoming survey.

It is envisaged that the survey will issue to schools in the coming weeks, and once schools have returned their replies, the Department will then be in a position to progress this claim further.