Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 11 together.

County Louth VEC has informed my Department that it projects an increased enrolment of 216 students in September 2011. My Department has therefore given provisional approval for an additional 11 teaching posts, which will be subject to confirmation of the actual enrolment in September. All vacancies and any additional teaching posts should, where possible, be filled through the redeployment of surplus permanent teachers.

Devolved funding for nine additional mainstream classrooms was approved by my Department in 2010 for schools that operate under the management of County Louth VEC, in order to cater for their immediate accommodation needs. The classrooms are currently in construction and should be ready for occupation in September 2011.

I appreciate the record of accomplishment of vocational education committees throughout this country in delivering a high quality education. The VEC system has made a significant contribution to the development of our education system. It has a tradition of providing high quality education and of placing a particular emphasis on meeting the needs of the most disadvantaged in our society.

As the Deputy will be aware, the previous Government decided to reduce the number of VECs from 33 to 16, and on the merger of particular VECs. I want to ensure that progress is made in bringing about a reduction in the number of VECs. I invited the Irish Vocational Education Association, IVEA, to submit alternative rationalisation proposals, as it had expressed concerns on the configuration of the proposed new entities. I am informed the IVEA will respond shortly. I have made clear to the IVEA that while I am open to considering proposals on alternative configurations, the invitation does not mean the process of rationalisation will be slowed or diminished.

In considering the submission from the IVEA regarding particular mergers, I will seek savings and to ensure that the new structure will involve a substantial reduction in the number of individual bodies, but with each remaining one of greater scale than currently. I am confident that this merger will ensure an even higher quality educational service for students and the public alike.

Regardless of the final shape of the reconfiguration, there will still be a requirement for co-operation and joint endeavour between all of the new local bodies. The current work on arriving at a single grant awarding body for the student support schemes is a good example of avoiding duplication and achieving improved public service delivery.

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