Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the strong interest of the committee and the Chairman in the Cork Life Centre. I want to say that the entire review of out-of-school educational provision is to ensure that places such as the Cork Life Centre and other centres have a sustainable future. The major concern of Cork Life Centre relates to its sustainable future. I acknowledge that the Department has not been found wanting in offering supports to Cork Life Centre, whether through the 6,000 co-operation hours or the €177,500 that has been offered and all of that.

An issue around staff and their terms and conditions has been raised. The terms and conditions of the staff are very much in line with arrangements which apply to settings outside the recognised school system. That is the current situation. The implementation group on foot of the review is chaired, as I said, by Ms Jacinta Stewart, former CEO of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. The implementation group will be looking at all aspects, including the issue that was specifically raised with me. There is a body of work to be done in that regard. As we referenced earlier, there are a number of different centres and different scenarios in operation in each of those centres. There is a demand to find a common link and sustainability for all of them, going forward.

The Chairman made reference to the visit the committee made to Mountjoy Prison, which also benefits from co-operation hours. I made the point earlier that many other centres benefit from co-operation hours. I absolutely recognise that there can be situations where students are not being provided for within the mainstream and can be provided for in different settings. I see that in the Cork Life Centre and other centres. We now need to find a mechanism to make them sustainable, going forward. That is the significant work being under taken by the implementation group. It is already in place. There is impressive representation on that implementation group, from the Children's Rights Alliance to the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, Jigsaw, you name it. This is a significant implementation group. We are working towards the sustainability of the Cork Life Centre and others.