Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The SOLAS implementation group has primarily been working to create a roadmap for the amalgamation of the education and training boards and the further education and training functions of FÁS. We have established two pilot programmes, in Cork and Dublin, to carry out a paper exercise of assessing the challenges and issues that might arise as a result of the amalgamation. We are trying to establish the issues and work out solutions at this stage so that we can address them when they arise. We are putting in place the circuitry of SOLAS so that when the legislation is introduced we can throw the switch to allow the amalgamation to be completed speedily.

The amalgamation of 33 VECs into 16 education and training boards and the process of amalgamating the boards with FÁS are difficult challenges by themselves. We are trying to complete both tasks concurrently while also ensuring continued provision for the many unemployed people who deserve excellent opportunities in terms of further education and training.

We are working hard to ensure that SOLAS comes into being as speedily as possible. I envisage that SOLAS will get its legal basis as an entity towards the end of 2012 and amalgamations will ensue, initially in Dublin and Cork and other areas following quickly. It is hoped that the amalgamation process will be completed by the end of 2013.

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