Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I am responsible for the whole issue of further and adult education. I am concerned with the PLCs where there have been significant increases, even in the creation of 100 posts for that sector. I am also responsible however for the adult literacy group, VTOS, youthreach, senior Traveller training, the back to education initiative. To take one figure alone, more than 33,873 people avail of adult literacy courses. The PLC is the next largest group comprising 30,188 students. I must attend not only to those large groupings but to VTOS, Youthreach and senior Traveller groups which have specific needs in respect of disadvantage.

The McIver report was prompted by the pressures on the PLC sector especially where the numbers attending the centres exceed 150. I understand those issues, particularly because that area is growing significantly as we try to encourage further training and education. It is amazing to see the scale of that growth. That is why in my initial reply I detailed the major improvements made in the PLC sector. It is not sufficient, however to consider it in isolation from other elements of adult and further education. I am responsible for other elements too.

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