Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Boyle for his good wishes and for raising this important issue. He will be aware that delegated responsibility for the area of adult education lies with my colleague, Deputy de Valera, although it is obviously one in which I also have an interest. Equally, Deputy Boyle will recognise the expansion of the adult educational guidance initiative service in the past three years where funding has increased from £150,000 in 1999 to €3.2 million in 2004 in recognition of the need that exists.

The Department launched the AEGI in 1999 in response to recommendations in the Green Paper on adult education. The service offers information, advice and guidance on an individual and group basis to assist adult learners to connect with learning opportunities in the further education sector. Since June 2004, the initiative consists of 24 projects located throughout the country in urban and rural areas. The projects provide a high quality adult education guidance service to participants on the vocational training opportunities scheme and literacy and adult community education programmes.

Financial support for an adult education guidance project in Cork city was approved by my Department in 2000 on a pilot basis as part of phase 1 of the adult education guidance initiative to address the guidance needs in Cork city. A service agreement drawn up by my Department was signed by PAGE in January 2003. The project is community-based and operates as a limited company. Most of the AEGI projects operate through the local vocational education committees. The funding of each of the adult guidance projects is subject to ongoing satisfactory delivery and evaluation.

As part of the ongoing evaluation of the service being provided, my Department became concerned during 2003 that an education guidance service was not being provided to the identified target groups in the Cork area. It was not the case, as Deputy Boyle alleged, that a cold decision was made. The Department decided to place the project on a six-month probationary period and it duly notified PAGE of the decision on 17 December 2003 and of the four conditions to be implemented with immediate effect. Following ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the service being provided to the designated target groups, my Department was not satisfied that the project was fulfilling the terms and conditions of the service agreement signed in January 2003. Accordingly, it was decided not to continue funding the pilot project in Cork city. However, I accept adult learners need the service of the adult education guidance service and the Department will be taking steps in the very near future to make sure that an adequate service will be made available to adult learners in the Cork area. I will keep in touch with the Deputy in that regard.

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