Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I have questions on a number of issues. First is the contract for adult education tutors. There is a lot of concern about this across the country. I spoke to tutors last September in Cavan-Monaghan and a number of other ETBs who did not get any hours, though that was not across the country. There seemed to be a funding issue. I think it was somehow related to SOLAS. Even when the funding was restored, this new contract meant their hours were much reduced. One tutor told me last year she had 20 classes between January and June; this year she had three. She, like many tutors, is on the point of leaving the service because it is not paying them to stay. Conditions have changed and there is uncertainty over salaries and hours. Will the Minister engage with the TUI, which is the union representing this sector, to ensure we have a proper adult education sector? It is important for literacy, marginalised groups, providing ongoing progression in courses or careers and even integration and social inclusion.

It is really important on an island of this size that we have North-South co-operation. We need measures to address the differences in application processes. UCAS offers could come out as early as May or June - obviously, they are results dependent - and then it could be August or September before the CAO makes its offers. Could we have a more joined-up system where results-dependent offers are made simultaneously, there is a smoother points conversion between A-levels and the leaving certificate, and students from all parts of the island are knowledgeable about courses available North and South?

The SUSI grant has an implication for people in the North and South regarding residency. Are there plans to review and reform the SUSI grant system? It can act as a barrier to some students' access to education. Mature students who, because of the housing crisis, are forced to go back to live with their parents find they are penalised by being means-tested on their parents' income. Could the level of income a student can earn be increased to ensure they can work while accessing the grant?