Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Hession. I am sure this is an issue the committee will revisit. Mr. Hession raised an issue I am going to raise with Ms Hurley. Members may correct me but as far as I can recall, the CE supervisors, in their evidence to the committee, made a point in respect to training and the training allowance that participants could go on a training course that would assist with the managing of the scheme but supervisors could not get approval from the Department to go on a training course that would assist them in operating the CE schemes they were managing. That seems to be a perverse situation. The witness in question had never used the training allowance up to that point and was then refused by the Department access to a training allowance that would have helped that person to comply with the statutory requirements and the requirement laid down by the Department in operating the CE scheme. The supervisor was refused access yet the participant being supervised was approved for access. Surely there needs to be some flexibility? We should not have situations where CE supervisors are refused access to a training course that is focused on the delivery of the programme they are operating.