Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he anticipates that the chief executive officers will be assigned to the sixteen proposed new VECs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30942/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The agreed redeployment arrangements for CEOs are operating at present. The process will result in the identification of the CEOs designate for 15 of the 16 boards. I expect the process to have reached that point by early August. The CEOs designate will be appointed to the new boards when the Education and Training Boards Bill 2011 is enacted and the boards are established by law.

Under the agreed redeployment scheme, the CEO in the City of Dublin vocational education committee is not required to participate in the redeployment process but will be appointed to the position of CEO in the city of Dublin education and training board on the day it is established.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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There has been some public commentary to the effect that this issue has gone to conciliation at one of the arms of the State's industrial relations machinery. Given that we are talking about only 15 people, there should be no delay in finalising these matters. The Minister has huge experience in government, including in the area of labour affairs. He should use his skills to finalise these appointments. In my constituency, the two chief executive officers are excellent public servants who work way beyond the call of duty. I know very few other CEOs, but I am sure most of them want to have their new designation finalised. The earlier these very important foundations blocks are put in place the better. Before we know it, August will be over and the new school year will be beginning. Instead of depending on the industrial relations machinery of the State to resolve an issue among little more than a dozen people, the Department should bring it to a head as soon as possible in the best interests of the new education and training boards and the personnel involved.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I acknowledge the concern and frustration the Deputy has expressed. Nothing is worse than uncertainty in any aspect of one's life, let alone one's employment. The people involved were all permanent CEOs, with the associated entitlements, and they have co-operated with the Department in regard to the reconfiguration which, as the Deputy observed earlier, amounts to a massive national reform measure. I am hopeful that by the end of July or the beginning of August we will know who are the designated people. They will be working with the acting CEOs until the legislation is enacted and commenced. Once identified, the CEOs designate will immediately commence work with two acting CEOs or, as the case may be, one permanent CEO and an acting CEO, in which case the permanent CEO would have less seniority than the designated person who is coming in as the super-CEO.

I hope this initiative will bring certainty for the staff delivering the services. The VEC schools and colleges of further education and their client groups, that is, the pupils and learners, will not necessarily be affected by any of this. However, the delivery, management and administration of the system is already being affected. The sooner we know the identity of the CEOs designate, the sequence of appointments and so on, the sooner they can get to work in restoring the confidence and momentum that have been lost.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The notion of certainty is at the core of this. The sooner these appointments are finalised the better from everybody's point of view, both those delivering the service and those availing of it, whether at second level, further education or in the traditional training area.