Táimid críochnaithe leis sin. Rachaimid ar aghaidh le ceisteanna eile chun an Aire. Tá Ceist Uimh. 101 i m’ainm. Táim ag iarraidh é a chur siar. If Members are happy enough, I will put that question back until I am out of the Chair.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Yes, and I am being utterly magnanimous, or at least partially magnanimous.
Sentiment score: 0.40
Tá Ceisteanna Uimh. 104, 105, 107, 110 agus 112 grúpáilte.
Sentiment score: 0.00
101. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on the progress made regarding the funding issues at SOLAS and ETB apprenticeship training programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37556/25]
Sentiment score: 0.22
I ask for an update on the progress made on the funding issue at SOLAS and the ETBs and the impact this is having on apprenticeships, the community sector and adult education within further education. Will the Minister provide some detail? We have all heard of a hole in the budget of between €40 million and €50 million but some clarity on that would be appreciated.
Sentiment score: 0.42
Can we get a figure for how big a hole we are talking about? I have heard it is between €40 million and €50 million and I have heard in relation to Louth and Meath ETB that it is between €8 million and €11 million-plus. It is necessary that the Minister engage with SOLAS. Like Deputy O'Sullivan, I think at some point we will need to know how this came about. The Minister only discussed this a month ago. Many of us heard this only in the recent past. It is a question of how this was missed and of ensuring protocols exist such that a situation like this cannot arise. It is a necessity that the Minister have that conversation with the Minister for public expenditure and secure the funding. Our fear is that, while we might not have cancelled apprenticeships, we are having postponements and a slow-up in the system, and that is not acceptable.
Sentiment score: 0.09
It would be hard to say I am still not apprehensive about this. We will need some detail on how these postponements will happen. I agree with the Minister that pressure has to be put on in relation to the fact the apprenticeships must not be cancelled. We need to find the money and make sure everything is not held up. I agree with the work being done on the funding implications through to December. When does the Minister expect to have that? If we could at some point, if not today, get the overall figure and the breakdown for individual ETBs, that would be useful. Will this have an impact? The adult educators will be out here tomorrow and they are talking about tutors who have been told they have less work or will not have work across ten ETBs. We know the issues with LTIs so we are very worried across the further education piece. Clarity needs to be brought, alongside the money. We must find out how this happened and ensure it does not happen again.
Sentiment score: 0.14
What about the adult education and community piece?
Sentiment score: 0.00