Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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146. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline her engagement with stakeholders, including trade unions, regarding pay and pension parity for school secretaries and caretakers, and other ancillary school staff, as of June 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30863/25]

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

Since September 2023 my department has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries. This was achieved through engagement with stakeholders including Fórsa, the trade union representing secretaries and caretakers, and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform Agreement. Under this Agreement secretaries received enhanced terms and conditions of employment, including, 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. 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.

In relation to caretakers, at present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. The Department is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a similar package offered to school secretaries.

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. Internal consultations are ongoing within the relevant units of the department which, in turn, are feeding into engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. In parallel with this, officials from my department speak regularly with officials from the Education division of Fórsa.

In the normal course, there are ongoing discussions with the Public Service unions on any and all matters relating to pay and conditions of employment. Any review of changes to the employment of school secretaries and caretakers 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.