Results 6,281-6,300 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: I move amendment No. 36: In page 9, subsection (5), line 6, after “with” to insert the following:“FET providers including community education providers, employers, adult learners,”.I am a bit loth to withdraw this amendment because we have already withdrawn a number of amendments concerning the functions of the service. This amendment deals with the...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: I will withdraw the amendment so.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: I will withdraw amendment No. 38 as I presume we will have a conversation on the make-up of the board. If that is the case, I am willing to withdraw the amendments I have submitted in this section.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: We are all agreed on this issue but have different ways of tackling it.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: The strategy will be key. That is why we are all being vocal on the inclusion of community education and those representing adult learners. If we do not specify it in the functions for the board, then the strategy will be devalued. I am anxious that this be as inclusive as possible and this can be done by prescribing it in the legislation. If we cannot get it into the legislation, then we...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: With all due respect, I do not agree with the Minister of State. It is not about symbolism but about addressing the issue. It is not a question of putting in a provision so we can all sleep well tonight, saying we ticked a box.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: Unfortunately, unless one prescribes a function in legislation, more often than not it will not happen. I understand the Minister is extending the hand and we will discuss this matter before Report Stage. However, I do not want him to be under any illusion that because we are withdrawing these amendments we feel any less passionate about the issue.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: My amendment and the others state that literacy and numeracy should be central to training and retraining programmes implemented and co-ordinated by SOLAS, which should be directly linked to and carried out in conjunction with the Government’s national literacy strategy for children and young people. I cannot see any issue with prescribing this in the legislation. The trouble is that...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: No, it is not. It is actually a bit stupid, to be honest. I am being dead serious.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: I know, but if this were on Report Stage and we were deleting a two-letter word, and that prevented any other amendment from being taken-----
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: I know, but in effect we are taking out "to promote" and replacing it with "promote" and because we are doing that we cannot take any other amendment on that section.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: Maybe it is just as well it is being done on Committee Stage and not on Report Stage because it allows us to resubmit our amendments on Report Stage.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: We are also looking to expand on the functions of the body by including four new subsections. I am sure the Minister has gone over them and will tell me why they are not acceptable. I would be interested in hearing that because, like Deputy Troy, we are looking to expand on the functions, which are too narrow and could be expanded in terms of developing any new strategy further down the...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: We welcome the amendment, which provides for a lot more flexibility. I do not like the term "placement of persons belonging to such class or classes of persons." The language is not appropriate.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: We should come up with a better term. I do not like to see any legislation which refers to people based on class.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: We will not oppose it now but it should be examined before Report Stage.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: That is important. There are certain groups of people whose spouses may be working and who may wish to avail of further education or training but are not in receipt of social welfare payments. Such groups need to be catered for.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: There is no reason for that.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: I welcome that approach. If the Minister of State is talking about consulting with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and employers I presume he will be consulting the bodies who represent employers. There is no reason he cannot consult the bodies who represent adult learners or community education. I see nothing to indicate it would be too prescriptive to include it for that...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee Stage (1 May 2013)
Jonathan O'Brien: Are we discussing all the amendments?