Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the implementation of the McIver report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34005/07]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, includes a provision which indicates that, having regard to developments in the plc sector, including the McIver report, concrete prioritised proposals would be prepared in regard to plc provision and be the subject of further negotiations between management and unions. The agreement also envisaged that the proposals to be developed would focus, in particular, on the larger plc providers. The agreement further provided that the union side would engage positively in regard to commitments on future working arrangements and developments in the sector.

I emphasise that the context for considering the future development of the plc sector and addressing the recommendations in the McIver report is the Towards 2016 agreement. The McIver report made a series of recommendations with significant resource implications. Its recommendations in regard to staffing alone would involve at least 800 additional staff at a cost of over €50 million. In that regard, the Towards 2016 agreement acknowledged that the level of resources for the plc sector would be determined in the light of resources generally and the implications for other areas of education.

Arising from the agreement, my officials developed a series of proposals for consideration and negotiation. The union and management representatives have met on a number of occasions in the past year to discuss the proposals and endeavour to arrive at agreement. These negotiations are ongoing. I do not propose to go into the detail of the negotiations, as that would be inappropriate and might prejudice the possibility of achieving a successful outcome.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister of State think it appropriate that the plc sector should be held back from development and used as a bartering tool in the social partnership negotiations? Surely the Government recognises the needs of this sector in its own right? Given that plc courses were first launched in 1985 and the McIver report was published in 2003, why is that four years later there is no prospect of its implementation because it is subject to negotiation? How can we build a high-end economy when this is the attitude of the Government?

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The context is the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement. The social partners have agreed proposals for the ongoing development of the plc sector. Negotiations are continuing between the Irish Vocational Educational Association and the TUI. They began this time last year. To date, eight meetings have been held between the Department and representatives of the social partners. I hope to be able to report progress in the new year and secure agreement between all parties in order that the plc sector can continue to flourish and develop.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister of State accept that finance is the reason the Government is pushing this into a negotiating process? A total of €80 million per annum is spent on subsidising private schools. Substantially less than that would have implemented this report in full and ended the nightmare where the plc is virtually an off-shoot of the VEC process. That is totally inadequate and inappropriate.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I very much accept that funding is an issue. As I stated, the staffing implications alone of the McIver report would involve 800 additional staff at a cost of over $50 million. That would have implications for other areas of education as well.

We have agreed a path forward. We have initiated a negotiation process in the context of the Towards 2016 agreement and I am confident that agreement can be reached in the new year so that the plc sector can continue to develop.