Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister. We raised this matter in the same week the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 was debated on Second Stage in the House. That legislation is designed to bring together four existing bodies into a single entity, the Qualification and Assurance Authority of Ireland, in an effort to concentrate services and bring a range of benefits to qualifications and quality assurance processes in Ireland. At the same time, it is hoped it will save the Department €1 million annually. My party commends the Minister on introducing this Bill. It has some flaws but it attempts to streamline the delivery of important services and in these financially straitened times it is important that any inefficiencies within any Department budget are addressed in order to prevent wastage and the duplication of services.

Last week my party colleague in the Assembly, the Minister for Education, John O'Dowd, MLA, announced a further funding allocation of £72 million that will be spent in the coming three years, following a review of the North's education budget. This additional funding is very good news for anybody interested in education on the island of Ireland. It will be spent on important school programmes such as early years, extended schools and the youth service as well as on the maintenance of the school estates. This money was secured after an internal review led to further reductions in bureaucracy and to savings from the educational services. That is the kind of process that is worth replicating in the Twenty-Six Counties.

In the face of tough financial challenges any wastage within the Department's budget must be identified and the money reinvested into the type of front-line education services that have been prioritised in the North. The difference is that here we are making savings to departmental budgets but those savings are not being reinvested into front-line services.

As a result of the review implemented by the Minister, John O'Dowd, thousands of families will now enjoy additional funding for free school meals, uniform grants. Some £27 million is to be ring-fenced in 2012-2013 to help address the maintenance backlog, a measure that is added good news for the beleaguered construction industry. Every effort must be made to ensure that funding opportunities can be identified through looking at departmental, interdepartmental and inter-agency working. Of those savings that are identified, at least some must be redirected to front line services. Otherwise the overall quality of education will not improve to the levels spoken about in the previous questions.

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