Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I refute what the Deputy has said about me not answering questions on the McIver report. With respect, the Deputy may not like the answers, but I certainly have directly addressed the issues put to me. I have said this more than once this afternoon, but for the Deputy's sake I will repeat it. I explained that the cost of the McIver report is €48 million. That figure has not been plucked out of the air, but has been agreed with the Department of Education and Science, the IVEA and the TUI. The figure does not incorporate any capital costs, it is just for non-capital costs.

As regards the implementation of the McIver report, there are financial costs involved and it is a complex area requiring consultation, which is already under way. A number of other issues also impact on the whole education system. I look forward to co-operating with that sector on the priorities involved. It has been said that I referred to other issues outside the McIver report. I have other responsibilities in the area of adult and further education. Post-leaving certificate courses constitute an important issue which was the basis for the McIver report. There were concerns about the growth in PLC numbers, with some colleges having numbers in excess of 150. The number of approved places this year is 30,188. To deal with the PLC issue, we have introduced maintenance grants, and tuition fees for PLCs have been waived. This year, some 8,000 PLC grant holders will receive €23 million in direct support. National certification under FETAC has been successfully worked out. The national framework for qualifications is important for the adult and further education sector. The latter area has seen a growth in numbers with an extra 100 posts being put in place for PLCs. In addition, we have examined the area of community education facilitators. I have ensured that 35 community education facilitators are in place across the country and they are doing great work within the VEC system. We have also made grants available.

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