Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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150. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans to move school cleaners/janitors onto public sector pay scales, as was done with school secretaries and school caretakers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37277/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Cleaners are valued members of our school communities who carry out work vital to the operation of our schools.

The majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff members are employees of the individual schools and as such responsibility for terms of employment and their rate of pay rests with the school or Board of Management. The Department of Education does not play a role in the agreement of these terms of employment nor do they set the rate of pay.

In the normal course, there are ongoing discussions with the public service unions on any and all matters relating to pay agreements. Any review of changes to the employment of school cleaners or other pay mechanisms, can occur only under those processes and any such proposals would need to be considered in detail by the Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the relevant unions.