Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 246: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the total adult and further education budget per vocational education committee for 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8199/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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In 2011, my Department provided funding of nearly €420 million for further education programmes delivered by Vocational Education Committees (VECs). This covered the pay of staff, non-pay capitation, participant allowances and student support for learners in Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses.

Funding for the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme, Youthreach, Senior Traveller Training Centres, the Back to Education Initiative, Adult Literacy and Community Education, the Adult Education Guidance Initiative and a range of other smaller programmes is totalled, broken down by VEC, and set out in the attached table, along with expenditure on student support for PLC learners.

Funding for the pay of staff and an element of non-pay funding for PLC is administered to VECs as part of mainstream allocations. The estimated costs of these for each VEC are set out in the table.

Funding is also allocated to some VECs under the co-operation hours scheme for further education services delivered in non-VEC centres, like prisons. The total estimated cost of this provision nationally is €25 million.