Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Perhaps that committee could look at this.

There are 25,700 participants on back to education. Some 43% of them are in second level while the majority are in third level. The cost is very high. We spent €200 million last year and we will spend €183 million this year. As the Deputy identified, it is money well spent if people move on to employment but we have a limited budget. It would be dishonest of me if I did not say that we are in a very tight budgetary situation. I will certainly ask my officials to raise this with the Department of Education and Skills but I think the Deputy hinted at part of the solution himself, that is, to reference the Teaching Council and how it came up with the specific points requirement it has which, in a way, constitutes the difficulty. As I suggested, perhaps the joint committee might offer some scope to bring the different parties together.

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