In the days ahead, secondary schools will be finishing up and primary schools will also finish their terms in the weeks ahead. School secretaries will be finishing work as well. A great deal of background work has been done in getting an agreed plan together, and I acknowledge everyone who has been involved in that. There are more than 3,000 schools involved across the country. Time is very tight. Is it envisaged that the new pay system for school secretaries will be in place for when they finish up? What kind of work is involved in that? Will some secretaries get it as soon as it is up and running or will all the schools come on together at the same time? I ask the Minister to give an indication on that. It is especially relevant for people who are retiring.

There is an agreement in place and the focus is now on implementing it. Work is ongoing with Fórsa. It involves a complex process of assimilating information to capture accurate data in respect of each individual secretary and the application of these data to ensure each secretary is correctly assigned to the new terms and conditions if they so choose. Secretaries will also be provided with an opportunity to confirm whether they wish to move to the new terms and conditions or retain their current terms and conditions, as the benefits of either option will be determined by their individual circumstances. I am assured by the Minister for Education that additional resources are being put in place to provide capacity to manage this process. I cannot give an exact timeline but it is a priority to get this implemented as quickly as possible.