Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no question that there is a challenge with regard to adult literacy. I have engaged extensively with a number of groups operating in that sphere and they tell me about the challenges that exist. My Department is determined that those challenges will be addressed. This legislation will hopefully underpin and shape the development of a world-class further education and training sector over the next number of years. I want to stress that in its drafting it needs to be as flexible and open-ended as possible. Nobody disagrees for a moment that adult learners, independent providers, the community education sector and those involved in the direct provision of adult literacy programmes are a very important part of the overall further education and training sector.

The advice we are getting is that to make specific reference to that in the legislation would be overly restrictive and prescriptive. The development of that charter, the literacy strategy and the learners' charter, as referred to by Deputy O'Brien, would be best served within the development of the overall strategy when SOLAS comes into being. I have heard the very serious concerns the Deputies have. Both the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and I very much want to see a very strong parliamentary collaborative process under way here in adopting this legislation and the legislation applying to the ETBs. In the spirit of that we will undertake again, between now and Report Stage, to see if the Deputies' concerns can be facilitated within the legislation in some form of words that does not render it overly prescriptive.

We are more than willing to have that conversation with the Deputy between now and Report Stage. I understand his point and I agree we are facing a serious challenge with adult literacy. The issue is how we can best serve and respond to that challenge. We need to be sure that by addressing it, perhaps, in this legislation we do not undermine our ability to deal with it in the future.