Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. Again, however, I am struck by the absence of an urgent response to this issue and the lack of a clear timeframe to resolve it. I do not believe that kicking the issue into the committee is enough. Certainly, committee members will have views on the matter and we will all contribute, but I do not believe that is good enough. We need a response from the Minster. We need a clear timeframe from him as well. We also need a commitment to take urgent action.

Institutes of technology will be burdened with an impossible task of attempting to balance budgets that are simply unworkable. Ultimately, students will suffer. The report refers to the possibility of redundancies and further cost-cutting measures in the institute of technology sector. This is most concerning, especially since apprenticeship training has specifically received attention in the report. Such moves will have a serious impact if we fail to deal with it. This is coming at a time when the Government wishes to increase apprenticeship places. Can the Minister give a clear commitment that the current level of course provision will not be sacrificed to balance the books?

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