Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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189. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on school secretaries and caretakers not receiving a State pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27920/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Department recognises the vitally important role of Secretaries and Caretakers within school communities, as a key link between students, parents, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the administrative and the caretaking needs of the school are met.  Without them, our schools would be unsustainable.

The Department of Education and Youth is not the direct employer of former grant funded school secretaries, but rather has been providing a payroll service for this cohort of secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of this 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) in 2022. This was implemented under Circular 0036/2022. The agreement provided both pay stability and additional employment benefits for secretaries, who signed up for the package, such as: a pay scale aligned with that of Grade III/CO in ETBs, improved annual leave entitlements, improved maternity provisions, and paid sick leave in excess of the statutory requirement. It also made some provision for incremental credit, recognising previous relevant experience in their current or previous employing school. In addition, it was agreed that pay increases under future national agreements will be passed onto secretaries and this has happened with each pay increase since the implementation of the agreement.

The agreement which was given effect under Circular 36/2022 did not grant public servant status to school secretaries and therefore this cohort do not have access to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. The granting of such status is not a matter that this department can decide unilaterally, and proposals in this regard will need to be considered in detail by this department and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

For secretaries who are paid through the Department-administered payroll, a facility is available to join a PRSA scheme administered by Cornmarket with contributions being deducted at source. Secretaries who wish to avail of this option can contact Cornmarket directly. As the school remains the employer of school secretaries, it is their obligation to provide access to a PRSA scheme for employees.

At present, work is ongoing to review results of a comprehensive survey which will enable my officials to confirm their understanding of the current working patterns as well as terms and conditions of work for school caretakers. The Department is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a similar package offered to school secretaries in the near future.

Any changes to the terms and conditions agreed for these secretaries under Circular 0036/2022 can occur only under industrial relations processes and any such proposals would need to be considered in detail by this Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, as the granting or otherwise of public servant status is not within the scope of this Department.