Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú:

This is a very important area for us to ensure that we have different mechanisms in place. We established SOLAS as a funding and regulatory authority for the further education and training sector. That was with a view to enhancing the responsiveness of that sector, to have central planning in place and to have local autonomy in terms of the role of the education and training boards, ETBs. We brought the former FÁS training centres under the ETBs and gave the training centre responsibility to the ETBs. A number of reviews are under way on different aspects of further education and training expenditure by SOLAS. The first, which is nearing completion, is a review of the post-leaving certificate courses, PLCs, provided in the ETB sector. That is being undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and there will be recommendations.

I think SOLAS may have the report but it has not made recommendations to us on the way forward. A number of different arrangements are in place.