Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The network of education centres consists of 21 full-time and nine part-time centres.  Their principal activity is to facilitate the local delivery of national programmes of teacher professional development on behalf of my Department. They also organise a varied local programme of activities for teachers, school management and parents in response to demand.

My Department is the main source of funding for centres through direct grants for core and local course funding. Centres also receive funds for administration costs and room hire from Department-funded support services. The following table provides details of funding issued by my Department for each of the past five years. A total of €17.9 million issued to centres in 2016. It is up, although not dramatically, over the past number of years. It is up from just over €17 million.

Centres also have other sources of income including, hire of rooms, local partnerships and partnerships with other State bodies.

I have committed under the Action Plan for Education to a programme of actions for the further development of our CPD programmes and their organisation. Under this commitment, I will consider options for the legal model and potential functions of a centre of excellence to have oversight of the supports for school improvement and professional development of teachers, including research and identifying international best practice. The action plan commits to considering the potential of education and training boards, ETBs, to support the delivery of national programmes of continuing professional development. The core remit of education centres as providers of local and innovative training opportunities for teachers will be considered. I am committed to progressing this action item in the second quarter of 2017.

The Teaching Council functions in relation to continuing professional development provide that the council will advise me in relation to teachers’ CPD, promote engagement in CPD, conduct research and raise awareness of the benefits of teachers’ learning, among the public and teaching profession alike.

Full Time Education Centres	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Core Funding	€3,024,899	€5,099,374	€4,744,723	€4,735,081	€4,738,815
Support Service - Allocation	€14,846,935	€12,778,670	€12,850,471	€12,329,908	€12,640,164
Overall Allocation	€17,871,834	€17,878,044	€17,595,194	€17,064,989	€17,378,979

*The 2016 core funding allocation was adjusted as education centres were required to use accumulated funds held by the centre at the end of the 2015 financial year to meet their expenditure in 2016.

**The 2016 figure includes a minor works grant - 10% of core funding - which was introduced in 2016 to assist in the upkeep of the centres buildings.

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