Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This Bill was referred to the select subcommittee by order of the Dáil on 17 October 2012. I welcome the Minister for Education and Skills and his officials to the committee.

Despite the large number of amendments, I intend that the committee consider the Bill until Committee Stage is concluded in its entirety. We will break for lunch from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. If it is not possible to conclude today, the room is booked for 9.30 a.m. tomorrow morning and again on Tuesday, 22 January from 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. We should, however, conclude today.

The following amendments are grouped for the purposes of debate: amendments Nos. 2 and 3; amendments Nos. 7, 8 and 22; amendments Nos. 9, 10 and 16; amendments Nos. 12 to 14, inclusive, amendments Nos. 17 to 19, inclusive; amendments Nos. 24 to 27, inclusive; amendments Nos. 31, 35, 42 and 58; amendments Nos. 32 and 33; amendments No. 41, 43, 44 and 57; amendments Nos. 45 to 47; inclusive, and amendment No. 60; amendments Nos. 48 to 51, inclusive; amendments Nos. 53 to 56, inclusive; amendments Nos. 63 and 64; amendments Nos. 67 and 69; amendments Nos. 68, 70 and 71; amendments Nos. 75 and 80; and amendments Nos. 76 and 81. All other amendments will be discussed individually.

I will now set out the amendments that have been ruled out of order in accordance with Standing Order 156(3), which provides that an amendment to a Bill that could have the effect of imposing or increasing a charge upon the Revenue may not be moved by any member, save a member of the Government or a Minister of State.

The purpose of the Bill is to replace vocational educational committees with bodies to be established as education and training boards, and to reform and modernise governance in this section. Amendment No. 6 from Deputies Daly, O'Brien and McConalogue proposes as an additional function of the ETB through the provision of Irish language service to any training or education centre or school that operates through Irish within the ETB area. As the amendment would impose a positive obligation on the ETBs to provide an Irish language service to both ETB schools and non-ETB schools, it involves a potential charge on the Revenue and must be ruled out of order in accordance with Standing Order 156(3).

Section 28 on membership provides that each ETB shall consist of 18 members to be appointed as follows: ten local authority representatives; two staff representatives; two parents' representatives and four community representatives. Section 36 provides for payment to ETB members of travel and subsistence expenses reasonably incurred in attendance at meetings of the ETB and other events. A number of amendments propose to increase the number of members of an ETB as set out. Amendment No. 29, tabled by Deputies Daly and O'Brien, proposes to increase that number from 18 to 20 and amendment No. 39 by Deputy Daly provides for the appointment of two members from the adult student body to an ETB as an additional category of representatives, and is consequential on the proposed increase in membership from 18 to 20. Amendment No. 38 from Deputy O'Brien is also consequential on the proposed increase in the membership of an ETB and proposes to increase the number of community representatives to be appointed from four to six. Amendment No. 52 from Deputy O'Brien is consequential on amendment No. 38 in providing for the method of appointment of community representatives, it also makes provision for the appointment of six community representatives, increased from four, to an ETB. Amendment No. 34 from Deputy McConalogue proposes the number of members elected by local authorities may be increased from ten members in cases where two or more counties are represented on an ETB. In amendment No. 36, Deputy McConalogue proposes there should be at least one staff representative on an ETB from each county within an ETB area and where there are more than two counties within an ETB area, the number of staff representatives shall be increased proportionally. Amendment No. 37 from Deputy McConalogue proposes there shall be at least one parent representative on an ETB from each county within an ETB area where there are two or more counties within an ETB area, the number of parent representatives shall be increased proportionally. In amendment No. 40, Deputy McConalogue provides for the appointment of one learner in a children's detention school or other such facility as an additional category of representatives on an ETB.

These amendments, as they propose an increase in the membership of an ETB, would give rise to a potential charge on the Revenue and must be ruled out of order in accordance with Standing Order 156(3).

Amendment No. 61 from Deputy McConalogue proposes that an ETB school boards of management shall include at least two members of the ETB and at least one of those members must be present at the meetings of the board of management. As members of the ETB receive travel and subsistence expenses for attendance at meetings, this amendment could give rise to a potential charge on the Revenue and must be ruled out of order in accordance with Standing Order 156(3).

We will now proceed to the Bill.