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

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this important motion for consideration. It is always good to see education on the political agenda. Education is a subject of immense interest and importance for all of us, whether we are students, parents, educators or legislators.

In its programme for Government this Government set out its aim to build a knowledge society, for education to be at the heart of a more cohesive and equal society and for it to be the engine for sustainable economic growth in the future. The achievement by the Government of its aims for education and training and of promoting investment in education, however, must take account of the economic reality we face at present. It is a reality that obliges us to significantly narrow the gap between our spending and the taxes we take in. We cannot continue to borrow €1 billion per month to pay for public services.

However, this Government has sought to protect front-line education services as far as possible, including through protecting pupil-teacher ratios. I welcome the acknowledgement by some Deputies during the debate of the efforts being made by the Government in this regard. I also welcome the broad agreement on tackling a number of key issues, including back-to-school costs, literacy and numeracy and special educational needs. It is true that the forthcoming budget will be difficult. The exact details will be worked out by the Government over the next few weeks. The contributions made by Deputies during this debate will help to inform that budgetary process. It is good to have a wide range of inputs to the process and to be willing to listen to advice and experience from elsewhere. Deputy O'Brien would concur that both the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and I, in drafting the new legislation on SOLAS, were open to suggestions and innovations emanating from all quarters. We drew the conclusion that a good idea is a good idea, irrespective of its source. The level of co-operation and collaboration that occurred on that legislation can certainly continue in the future if everybody is open to that.

As well as seeking to protect expenditure on education and training, the Government has put in place a number of important initiatives designed to improve educational and training outcomes. One important structural initiative in my area of responsibility is the major consolidation of our 43 VECs into 16 ETBs and the aforementioned replacement of FÁS with the new organisation, SOLAS. This will lead to a coherent, high quality further education and training sector. Additionally, in respect of further education and training, I am driving efforts to provide increased opportunities for upskilling and retraining of individuals. That upskilling and retraining is happening in close co-operation with the significant number of experts across our education system, in the training and further education sectors, and in collaboration with the many people in industry who are more than willing to collaborate with us in the development of curricula in the future.

Since 2011, the Springboard programme has provided more than 15,000 part-time, higher education places for unemployed and previously self-employed people. We have provided 6,000 Springboard places in 2013 alone, with funding of €22 million allocated for that. In addition, approximately 1,500 places have been provided under two rounds of the ICT skills conversion programme, with a further allocation of €5 million made for 2013. Also, funding of €20 million has been provided for Momentum, the new labour market education and training fund, where a further 6,000 places will be provided in 2013. The action plan to combat bullying in schools, which received very positive comment in some contributions, was launched earlier this year and is being supported with an annual budget of €0.5 million.

The bottom line is that we are operating in an incredibly difficult environment, not unlike the environment described by some of our Sinn Féin colleagues when they spoke of how they must operate within severely limited budgetary conditions. There is no difference on our side; we face the same challenge. Ultimately, we are trying to work within those very limited resources and to ensure we can protect our children and all our students, as best we can, from the harshest winds of recession. It is clear that this Government has embarked upon a significant range of reforms in the education sector. Our commitment to protecting the education budget to the greatest degree possible, which is clear for all to see, is evident from our actions. I support the amendment to the motion.

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