Mr. Peter Cassells:

The other outlets emerged as apprenticeships, further education, post leaving certificate opportunities. That is the reason we are saying that it should be beyond the traditional apprenticeships. A working group has reported to the Department on that and a strategy has been developed. We have not been asked to consider apprenticeships but we are saying that in looking at the funding requirements we need to be able to comment on that.

In terms of the composition of the group, I was asked to chair it and the other members of the group were invited by the Minister and others to participate in it. I am not commenting on how other groups have approached this, but we are engaged in extensive consultation, as we are here today, with all of the different groupings, including the universities and the medical schools. For this reason, and it is a point I made previously, we want to develop a shared understanding as to how these things will be funded and happen

We will have to consult with bodies, for example if one has a charge or fees for different programmes and courses, does one grade it depending on the future earnings that might emerge from the particular profession under consideration?