Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I gently remind Members of the time limits.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Consider me duly reminded.

Next week, Aer Lingus pilots will begin industrial action, starting with indefinite work to rule. This action has the overwhelming support of the pilots in both of the ballots they conducted, and there is no doubting their resolve in this matter. Aer Lingus has stated the action would cause significant disruption to its operations. For their part, the pilots say management keeps insisting that pilots must sell their working conditions in exchange for any pay increase and that they are absolutely not prepared to do that, especially when Aer Lingus is making enormous profits. The facts bear this out. Aer Lingus's profits increased by 400% last year. Its management and the pilots' union, IALPA, must re-engage, get back around the negotiating table and hammer out a deal. This is the only way this dispute will be resolved. We are less than a week away from the start of the industrial action, so there is time to reach a resolution. However, time is running out and every day lost makes industrial action more likely.

We cannot underestimate the impact of the uncertainty, particularly on those considering travelling to Ireland for a holiday this summer. The Government has a role to play in this regard. I have some experience of industrial relations and understand well that we will not resolve this dispute here on the floor of the Dáil, but I also know when high-level intervention is required. This is one of those times.

Aer Lingus and the routes it serves are of significant national importance for business travellers and leisure travellers alike, for connectivity and tourism, and, more important at this time of the year, for the tens and thousands of workers and families who have saved hard for their annual holiday and are worried sick that they will not be able to travel.

Two years ago, there was chaos at Dublin Airport. This is still fresh in people's minds. The reputational damage done by the chaos should not be underestimated. The hands-off approach of the Government at the time meant the chaos continued for too long. This morning on the radio, we heard from business owners in the tourism sector who are extremely concerned about the impact of the potential industrial action, as they see their bookings slow down and brace themselves for cancellations. The tourism sector is still recovering from the pandemic. All those involved, including business owners and workers in bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants and the experience economy, need a good season this year. Therefore, I call on the Government to intervene.

As reported this morning, the State's industrial relations mechanisms believe the sides are too far apart to engage in trying to seek a resolution to the dispute at this time. It is, therefore, incumbent on the Government to do so. Given the seriousness of this dispute for families and the wider economy, there is a need for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister for Transport to engage constructively to get all sites around the table now. Every influence needs to be brought to bear to turn things around and ensure a successful outcome. The key is to get both parties back around the table, with meaningful objectives and willingness to strike an agreement. Industrial action is not in anybody's interest.

The Tánaiste knows what it is like for so many families. They put their deposit down at Christmas and spend the next couple of months either saving up or paying off the cost week by week or month by month while looking forward to their holiday. People are working hard and under enough pressure and therefore want to know with certainty that they will be able to go on the holiday they have saved hard to afford. What does the Government propose to do to reverse the industrial action scheduled by Aer Lingus pilots next week? This is far too serious to look away.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I dtús báire, cuirim fáilte roimh an Teachta as ucht an cheist seo a ardú. Is dochreidte é go mbeadh stailc ann an tseachtain seo chugainn. Iarraim ar Aer Lingus agus ar IALPA teacht le chéile. Tá sé práinneach go mbeadh cainteanna ar siúl anois idir IALPA agus Aer Lingus. Tá dualgas orthu gach aon iarracht a dhéanamh chun an fhadhb seo a réiteach chomh luath agus is féidir. Tá muintir na tíre seo ag brath ar réiteach na faidhbe seo. I thank the Deputy for raising what is an extremely important issue. There is no question but that thousands of workers and families who have saved up for their holidays and are looking forward to them are now facing acute anxiety over whether there will be flights next week. There is an obligation on all sides to get to the table as quickly as possible to resolve this issue. We know the impact of industrial action of any kind in the context of this dispute will be extremely disruptive. Thousands of people will have their lives disrupted. In addition, the domestic economy and jobs will suffer. Many small companies or businesses, including those in retail and hospitality, will suffer if tourists are not facilitated to come to the country because of a dramatic reduction in the number of flights.

Air connectivity is key to and is the lifeblood of an island nation, and that is why every effort must be made to resolve this. It is vital that both parties to the dispute act responsibly and re-engage, as recommended by the Labour Court. The Deputy has experience of industrial relations and will note that the Labour Court has recommended that both sides re-engage to allay any doubts about the travel plans of thousands of our people. We have a sophisticated industrial relations system in this country. The Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court remain available to the parties to facilitate engagement, and that is ultimately the framework within which this matter can be resolved.

Air passengers have strong consumer rights under EU Regulation No. 261/2004 but we do not want to go there as we want this dispute resolved. That is the key issue. I am aware that IALPA has served notice to Aer Lingus of indefinite work to rule, commencing next Wednesday, 26 June. There have been ongoing discussions and negotiations for quite a number of months. As the Deputy knows, the independent pilot pay tribunal made its determination in December 2023 of a 12.25% increase in consolidated pay and a 1.5% increase in unconsolidated pay, but that did involve the cost of the 2019 crewing agreement. Then the dispute moved on to the Workplace Relations Commission. Talks took place over a number of days in February but no agreement was reached. Then, in April, the dispute went to the Labour Court. It recommended that pilots receive an interim pay deal worth 9.25%, including retroactive pay increases – from 1 January 2023, 1 July 2023, 1 October 2023 and January 2024 – and that the parties re-engage with the assistance of the WRC on other matters. Within that framework, there has to be room for engagement to determine whether we can build on what has already transpired within the industrial relations machinery. I urge both parties to re-engage as a matter of urgency.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The response of the Government cannot be just to outline the history of this dispute. We know what has happened and how many times the dispute has been to third parties, but it has not been resolved and the pilots are ready to take industrial action. People who have worked hard and paid for their holidays now face the prospect of no flights. The Tánaiste referred to them exercising their consumer rights by invoking the EU regulation but it should not be allowed to get to that stage. They should not have to tell their kids they will not be able to go away. I asked the Tánaiste very directly what the Government was prepared to do and the answer I got was that it was prepared only to list what has happened and take a hands-off approach.

As I have said, I have some experience of industrial relations and understand that politicians on the floor of the Dáil will not resolve this dispute; however, there are occasions when high-level intervention is not only necessary but also essential. This is one of those occasions. People work hard and need to know they will be able to go on the holidays for which they have paid. People have two weeks of holidays and work for the rest of the year. They want to be able to get away and want to know what the Tánaiste, as deputy Head of Government, is prepared to do to help them.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy has said herself that this dispute cannot be resolved on the floor of this House, and she invoked her own-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It can be resolved outside.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

-----experience in industrial relations, so I will not play politics with this on the floor of the House. I agree 100% that this is incredibly disruptive to many families, it is creating-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

You can intervene.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

-----unacceptable anxiety to many families-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Just describing the problem is not good enough.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

-----and it needs to be resolved. Given the Deputy’s experience in industrial relations, she knows full well that-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A high-level intervention is required.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

-----the only way for this to be resolved is-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Through a high-level intervention.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

-----in the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, or the Labour Court. Essentially, it has to be resolved within the industrial relations machinery. The Deputy knows that, I know that, and most people in this House know that. I urge both sides, in the interests of the people of this country, to get around the table and hammer out a resolution to this issue. That is the only way this can be done. The Deputy and I both know that.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

An intervention is required.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy has identified the challenges, just as I have.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I also asked what the Tánaiste was prepared to do.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There is not much difference between what she and I have said.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

You are prepared to identify the challenges but you are taking a hands-off approach.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

You have not asked anything-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

That is not-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Through the Chair, the Deputy has not asked anything specific. Other than identifying the problem, she has not come up with a specific solution.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Have you identified-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I have spoken about a high-level intervention, as I implied in my email.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Whatever does that mean?

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

You know exactly what that means.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Come off it.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

You know exactly what it means.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The only effective intervention is the industrial relations machinery. That is key.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Táimid ag dul ar aghaidh go dtí an dara ceist, ón Teachta Cairns.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Yesterday, primary school principals were in the House pleading for help. Over the past two years, heating costs have risen by an average of 37%, electricity costs by 35% and insurance costs by 19%. Seven out of ten primary schools ran a deficit in the last 12 months. Almost three quarters do not even have enough money to pay for cleaners and caretakers. More than half have had to fundraise for basic utilities. On top of all of that, 28% of schools have a long-term vacancy rate, with that figure rising to 51% for DEIS band 1 schools and Gaelscoileanna and 48% for special schools.

Is it any wonder that many principals and their schools are at breaking point? They do not have the funding, staff or resources they need to run their schools. Many schools can no longer afford cleaning and caretaking staff, so principals are working after hours to clean toilets and mop floors. They have to leave classrooms to fix broken pipes and clean up leaks from them, and they feel they cannot speak publicly about the issues affecting their schools for fear that their enrolment numbers will go down and the problems will only worsen from there. This is causing burnout and 75% of principals have considered quitting.

This is not just affecting principals. It is affecting teachers who are working in under-resourced and high-pressure environments, it is affecting parents and, crucially, it is affecting students. They are increasingly being taught by unqualified teachers who are filling gaps in the teacher supply crisis and their education is suffering.

Then, there is also the disproportionate impact on children who need special education. According to the National Disability Authority, NDA, the number of children with special education needs at primary level increased by 56% between 2017 and 2021. During that time, allocations of special education teaching hours and special needs assistants were frozen or reduced and additional supports are nearly impossible to get. Incredibly, the Department has no idea of the number of children in mainstream classes with additional needs because it refuses to collect or accept data from schools. How exactly is the Department supposed to address the needs of students if it does not even know what they are? It is farcical. Even when schools are aware of additional needs for incoming students, they cannot apply for the supports in advance so that the child is supported from day one.

Primary schools need action, and they need it fast. They need immediate financial support so that the basics are covered. Special education teaching, SET, and special needs assistant, SNA, allocations need to meet the level of need and we need to address the teacher supply crisis and the pressure on teaching principals. Does the Tánaiste acknowledge the problem that primary schools are facing? Does he agree that all these issues and more need to be addressed? If so, how does he intend to address them?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In any assessment of our education system, particularly our primary school system, it is shown to be one of the best in Europe. This is repeatedly the case with PISA outcomes and results for literacy and numeracy. Our system is very high up there in terms of outcomes. That needs to be said because the Deputy’s narrative was one of unrelenting misery and almost of a system that was not effective at all. The system has grown enormously. The number of teachers has grown enormously. It is up dramatically. This Government has significantly reduced the pupil-teacher ratio. The Deputy did not acknowledge that in her presentation. In the last four years, it has been a singular achievement of this Government and the Minister that we have reduced the pupil-teacher ratio at a primary school level. We have dramatically expanded the hot meals programme. We have significantly expanded the DEIS programme, and with that, the increased financial allocations for primary schools that benefit from being included in the DEIS programme and the various bands in it. We have significantly increased the number of new special schools and classes for pupils with additional needs. The number of special needs assistants has risen dramatically. There are well over 21,000 SNAs in our school education system right now.

I accept there are challenges but it is not good enough to come in and say everything is miserable and a disaster without giving the other side of the coin. The fact is that huge resources, both capital and current, have been put into education over the last three to four years. We have significantly increased the number of teachers in our schools. We have increased the number of special needs assistants. We have increased the number of special classes. We have to do more. We also brought in the free books scheme up to junior certificate level, which is a significant resource to many children and their parents because it removes very severe costs for families and parents. I hope we will be in a position in the next budget to extend that to leaving certificate level. During the Covid pandemic, we substantially increased the capitation grants to primary schools. Also, we improved the situation with school secretaries and caretakers. That also happened under this Government's watch.

We will engage with the Irish Primary Principals Network, IPPN. I do not know if that is the body to which the Deputy was referring and which met yesterday. I helped to establish that body when I was Minister for Education to create a forum for primary school principals, and did likewise for secondary school principals. There are challenges and we will respond to those challenges, as we did last year through the cost-of-living package and other interventions we made for primary schools.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Respectfully, it is not my narrative. It is what the principals are telling us, and it is really important that we listen to it. They spoke about the things the Tánaiste just referenced, for example, the hot school meals programme and how welcome that is. However, one principal gave an example of a contract for the hot school meals programme costing €160,000, which is more than the school received for all the other costs it is covering. While schools welcome the programme, they cannot pay for basic things like cleaning the school so they do not feel the funding has been allocated to the right places. They make a very valid point.

I recognise the increase in the funding for DEIS schools but principals are saying that funding is being swallowed up because they cannot fundraise in the same way that other schools are able to. It is therefore not meeting the extra needs that DEIS schools have. While they really welcome the book scheme, they are telling us loudly and clearly that it is not covering the cost of books. It is great that there has been an increase in special education teaching hours but the crucial point is that people are not getting the special education teaching hours they need. That is the key takeaway and it needs to be addressed.

Primary schools are the epicentre of every single community and therefore every single crisis. The housing crisis means that people cannot afford to live and rent in Dublin. There are these different issues and when they affect other State agencies, they wait-list and backlog, but schools cannot and will not do that. This needs to be addressed urgently.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I call the Tánaiste to respond.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Will the Tánaiste outline what the Government will do to address these issues?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We will focus on capitation and assess the capitation issue, which is the basic income that goes into schools to manage and maintain them on an ongoing basis. We will continue to invest in teachers across the full spectrum of issues that affect teachers. We will invest in training, particularly around additional special needs. On special education more generally, through the National Council for Special Education, there will be an increased number of SENOs, for example.

There is also a change with a more proactive role for SENOs in respect of engaging with parents of children with additional needs to facilitate and help them to secure places for their children, as opposed to the mother and father having to chase down schools to get a place for their children. It has long been a belief of mine that the council, through its SENOs and so on, has to be more facilitative and proactive in helping parents in that regard. The book scheme has been a game-changer for parents. That money is adequate.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Over the past eight years, the number of people who died before an ambulance reached their location increased by an alarming 70%. Last year alone, 1,108 people died before an ambulance arrived on the scene. In one high-priority case, it took three hours and 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive to a critically ill patient. I have raised the issues surrounding our ambulance service on numerous occasions during the lifetime of this Government. I have consistently highlighted the fact that the ambulance service is in a serious state of disarray. The centralised call-out system has failed. The service was much more effective and efficient when managed in regional hubs. There is now a national system which is poorly managed and co-ordinated. Many personnel in the system have lost confidence in the functionality of the system. It is not cost effective. There is massive wastage of funds due to poor logistical direction. The constant sustained pressure pushes crews to the limit of their endurance. They go to work not knowing what county or province they will end up in or what time they might get home. This has a demoralising effect on ambulance crews and their families. Frustration at the inability or unwillingness to correct repeated system failures has turned to disillusionment and anger among front-line workers. Many find it impossible to cope and are seeking to exit the service.

I have made numerous calls for a complete review of the service. In fact, a review happened, focusing on management structures, yet those findings were kept under wraps. Details of the report were subsequently obtained under freedom of information by Journal.ie. The findings confirm beyond doubt that every issue I and others in this House have raised was factual and verifiable, so much so that the report was deemed scathing in its criticism. It revealed that the ambulance structure is underdeveloped and under-resourced. Six areas were considered high risk or extreme risk. There was a keen focus on ambulance service staff, an area I have highlighted on a number of occasions in relation to paramedics. I relayed accounts of serious understaffing due to long-term sick leave, exhaustion and a lack of personnel to fill rosters. There were reports of exhausted paramedics travelling the highways and byways with their 12-hour shifts stretching to 15 hours or more, during which time they had no food breaks or downtime. Findings showed that up to 57% of shifts ran over designated finish times. The publication of this revealing report cannot be ignored, shelved or put on the long finger.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Is ceist an-tábhachtach í. Over the past 20 years, there has been significant professionalisation of the entire area of medical technicians and the entire ambulance service. Much of that was informed by international best practice, such as in the development of the standards of training for emergency medical technicians, which replaced a different kind of approach prior to that. First and foremost, getting a qualified EMT to a scene is the best chance for a person to survive, as opposed to getting the person to a hospital perhaps 30 miles away - the first responder is key. That side of the transformation in the past 20 years though the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC, has worked.

The other side is the centralisation of the call-out system, to which the Deputy referred, versus a regionalised hub approach. I will talk to the Minister about this again. Investment has increased continuously. In the National Ambulance Service it has gone up by 37% since 2019. The NAS has an allocation this year of €231 million and there are about 2,380 people working in it now, representing staff growth of approximately 447 since the end of 2019. That is a 23% increase in staff. There has been an increase in staff and investment and there are ongoing campaigns to recruit more qualified paramedics, student paramedics, emergency medical technicians and emergency call-takers. There is significant growth in demand for services, with 389,000 calls received in 2023. That is an increase of approximately 14% since the end of 2019. The National Ambulance Service states that its national performance for cardiac and other life-threatening call responses exceeds HSE national service plan key performance indicator, KPI, targets, showing improvements on the 2023 performance.

The HSE has stated that the National Ambulance Service dynamically deploys its ambulance resources in line with international best practice. It deals with higher acuity calls versus lower acuity calls and how they are triaged - it can change from lower to higher acuity between a call. It is worth having a review or engagement and perhaps a greater discussion around that so people understand what international best practice says in this situation as to the optimum model for the deployment of ambulances. I will discuss this with the Minister.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I seek a commitment that the complete findings of the report that is with the HSE be made public. I request assurance from the Government that failings identified in the report will be addressed as a matter of urgency. I agree that the shift towards first responders and paramedics has been a good one and works well. They are very capable and professional people. The problem is there are not enough of them, they do not get the support they require and, as a result, many are leaving the system. Recruitment and retention across the ambulance service are a major issue for a vital service. This has become an issue because the job has lost its appeal. It is a highly pressurised, stressful and tiring role. The ambulance service, if you will excuse the pun, is in need of resuscitation. The sooner we realise that and act on it, the better the results we will get. It requires political intervention to sort out the multitude of problems in the system. There is a huge level of anxiety and anger in the service. As was done in the mid-west recently, the regional model should be looked at again.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The report should be published. I will speak to the Minister for Health about the up-to-date position. I understand the report received significant media attention in one publication. If a report is commissioned by a service, it should be published openly by the HSE. As I said, the HSE's national service plan had various key performance indicators regarding purple calls, which are cardiac life-threatening, and red calls, which are other life-threatening calls, to be responded to within 18 minutes and 59 seconds. There is a load of data in that regard which indicates it exceeded those targets. There is a broader question regarding the incidences the Deputy outlined of excessive waiting times, people waiting far too long and what the optimum model is to deploy. The National Ambulance Service and HSE are clear that it is informed by best international practice. We need a rational discussion, at committee or some other level, to get under the bonnet of the issue and take on board what the Deputy said.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I wish to raise the serious challenges that principals in primary and secondary schools are facing with the allocation of the ancillary services grant. Since I raised this issue locally, I have been taken aback by the volume of correspondence I have received from primary and secondary school principals in my constituency but also right around the country. There is a very serious issue regarding the ancillary services grant in terms of covering the services of caretakers. I will quote from some of the correspondence I received from one primary school principal. These are the kinds of representations made to me by school principals:

Ancillary services funding was in place to pay for secretaries and caretakers. In the past two months however we were astonished to be told by the department that we would receive absolutely no funding to pay for ancillary services. The department's explanation is that under the old model we were spending all our ancillary services funding on a secretary and as they now are covering the cost, we are entitled to nothing to pay for a caretaker.

To describe this as a farcical situation would be an understatement. The principal also goes on to note that he specifically sought advice from the Department of Education on how the school is expected to pay for the cutting of hedges, the cutting of grass, the maintenance issues, and the safety and other issues in terms of the infrastructure of the school if the school receives no funding to pay for these services. He also stated the following:

From my interactions with the department on this issue, it is clear to me that they are determined to stand firm on the issue and simply hold the attitude that however a school has coped to date, they will just have to get on with it and do what they are doing. In our case if we were using parental contributions, fund-raising and relying on tradesmen working for free, well then we should continue doing that.

I am sure the Tánaiste will acknowledge that it is entirely inappropriate for the Department to give with one hand while relentlessly clawing back with the other hand. I have established through a parliamentary question response that the annual total for the ancillary grant funding has fallen from €96 million in 2019 to €83 million in 2023. This makes a mockery of what I take as the Minister's sincere wish for schools not to continually resort to parental contributions merely to enable a school to maintain itself as a safe environment. I ask the Tánaiste to urgently review and reverse the current situation whereby schools are seeing the value of ancillary grants fall. This deficit is the value of the salary paid to grant-funded secretaries. It is grossly misleading to champion progress on the secretaries' pay issue while concealing the fact that this progress is being achieved on the back of a major reduction in other areas that schools simply cannot do without, such as caretaking services.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy acknowledged that the Department has intervened in terms of the cost of secretarial services, wages, salaries and so on, which was a long running issue in primary education. Looking at the broader picture, budget 2024 provided targeted funding for school communities with an increase in capitation-related funding of over €81 million. As part of the capitation package in the budget for 2024, the Minister secured €21 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the long term with increased day-to-day running costs. This supports a permanent restoration of capitation funding to pre-2011 levels for all recognised primary and post-primary schools. She did not reference that, but it is a very significant change in the levels of capitation funding for all schools in the free education scheme. That €81 million secured for capitation-related funding also included €60 million as part of the cost-of-living measures in budget 2024. This was paid to schools in two instalments in October 2023 and in early 2024.

This year's budget increase will bring the standard rate of capitation to €200 per student in primary schools and to €345 in voluntary secondary schools. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs. This represents an increase of circa 9.2% on current standard and enhanced capitation rates. In 2023, the Minister announced €50 million to provide free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for pupils in primary and special schools. This was a landmark watershed moment in terms of primary education and junior certificate. Never before were free books, copybooks and workbooks provided in this country. Under this Government the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, has done that and that is important. In this year's budget, €68 million has been secured to extend the free schoolbooks to junior cycle students.

In addition, centrally negotiated rates for electricity and bulk heating fuels have been made available to schools through frameworks sourced by the Office of Government Procurement, including a new contract with Electric Ireland for the supply of electricity to schools. That commenced on 1 May of this year and will run for three years. We have already dealt with the extension of the hot school meals programme to all non-DEIS schools that apply. In the broader picture of funding interventions to schools, there have been very significant increases. A lot of progress has been made on some of the historical issues relating to secretaries and caretakers.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. I welcome the positive and overdue developments in funding for our schools. While there have been capitation increases, there have also been electricity cost increases. The running costs have increased and have not gone down. However, the specific issue that I raised here today is with the ancillary grant. The ancillary grant needs to be restored to the 2019 level of €96 million. It went down to €83 million last year which was a huge reduction. Because of this situation, schools do not know if they can actually employ a caretaker next year which is disrespectful to the caretaker who is the heartbeat of the school community. I know this at first hand because I was a primary school principal for a time. I know how essential our caretakers and secretaries are. Schools cannot function without caretakers and secretaries. I ask for the 2019 level of €96 million to be restored. I believe that is the only solution to this problem.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. School caretakers are essential and they play a vital role in the life of any school, as do the school secretaries. Whenever I go into a school, I always describe the school secretaries as the engine room of the school because they make things tick for the principal and everybody else. That is generally the situation. Caretakers also have a particular role to play in terms of the spirit and environment within a school. I have seen that in many schools to great effect. The issue the Deputy is raising seems to relate to funding and how certain issues get resolved. Historically schools were in a far worse position when it came to secretaries and caretakers, as were the people who were employed as school secretaries and caretakers in terms of basic and pension rights, remuneration and so on. There were many challenges. Over the years, there has been incremental progress on that. When that progress happens, some of the funding pressures on schools are taken away. I will, however, talk to the Minister for Education about the issue the Deputy has raised and I will revert to her.