Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
510. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available to small primary schools for caretaking and cleaning where no ancillary grant is provided; if she will consider an ancillary top-up for such schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17028/26]
View answerThe Ancillary Services Grant is payable to recognised primary schools and special schools in the Free Education Scheme. The grant is intended to cater for the cost of employing Secretarial and Caretaking staff. It is up to the BOM to allocate this funding as per their priorities. As per Circular 0040/2009 the capitation grant provided for general running costs and the ancillary services grant provided for Secretarial and Caretaking services may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities.
After Fórsa accepted the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement about salaries and leave for grant-funded school secretaries, the secretaries who accepted the agreement were added to the Department of Education and Youth’s payroll from September 2023. Because of this, the ancillary-related grant funding has been updated, since schools are no longer paying these salaries directly.
Since the 2023/24 school year, schools have been paid the usual ancillary grant amount, minus the amount that schools previously paid to grant-funded secretaries prior to their acceptance of the new terms and conditions. Schools provided the Department with these details and this information is now being used to reduce the ancillary-related grant funding. Schools should be in no way disadvantaged by this, as the grant is reduced only by the amount they previously paid to their secretaries.
To date we have issued correspondence to schools with details of the arrangements for each interim period since September 2023.
The rate of ancillary services grant has not decreased and continues to be paid based on the relevant enrolments in the school multiplied by the rates set out in Circular 0017/2021. As the grant is based on the enrolments, the amount paid to a school may fluctuate as enrolments increase or decrease from year to year.
Work is ongoing to identify a method of standardising the reduction to the ancillary-related grants for the longer term where school secretaries are being paid on the Department’s payroll. Note the reductions may change when a permanent model for ancillary-related grant reductions has been finalised.
Schools in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact my Department for advice and support. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures.
The Department is constantly engaging with a number of schools in this respect. Schools that have contacted the Department have been referred to the Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU). The FSSU, on behalf of the Department, plays a crucial role in this process and has recently been in contact with the specified school. The FSSU, funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters, including budgeting and cashflow management.
