Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I will start by fully agreeing with the Deputy. We all know that our secretaries and caretakers are at the very heart of our schools. They are the first people you meet on the grounds as you are walking in. The first person to welcome you is generally the secretary. They are absolutely invaluable in our schools. For me, and I think all of us, it is really important that a resolution is found to the ongoing dispute. The Department of Education and Youth has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of public expenditure and reform for a number of months now. That was under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. As the Deputy said, more recently, this has been referred to the Labour Court. My understanding is that the parties remain in this process. There is information that had to be provided but we should, hopefully, see a resolution and a recommendation from the Labour Court soon. While I do not have an exact date, I know there is a huge amount of effort being made to try and bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21