Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To answer Deputy Ó Snodaigh's question about the number of posts, we do not have that information to hand. I do not know if that was secured or sought from the VECs but we can determine if it was, and if the information is to hand, we can get it to the Deputy.

The reason these alleviation posts were agreed to was to minimise the reduction in courses available, particularly to those who were on the unemployment register. We also asked the VECs and the colleges of further education to ensure that if reductions in course provision were necessary, they would do a forensic analysis of all their course provision to ensure the courses that were most topical, timely and responding in the best possible manner to labour market skills shortages would be retained. I would be confident that the VECs have the capacity to be able to do that.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh asked what might arise next year. Once we arrive at this point next year, our 33 VECs will have been subsumed into 16 education and training boards, ETBs. We are confident that the significant economies of scale and efficiencies that will be achieved through that process will not give rise to a similar situation arising next year.

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