Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)

We are in agreement regarding the importance of this project, which is very beneficial to people who qualify for it. For many training schemes and so on for which businesses apply, a fairly detailed application process must be gone through. Members may be familiar with the Skillsnet programme of the Department of Enterprise and Employment under which proposals are made and evaluated by Government Departments or agencies regarding the benefit of the training being requested, the need for the training in the organisation and whether it is available elsewhere or through some other means of finance. Some people who have given up a job to be unemployed because of their personal circumstances are not in a position to fund themselves through a college education.

There are always genuine cases within the whole gamut of people we may think are exploiting the system, and there are those who are exploiting the system. It might be a good idea to create some kind of application process for 2006 in which people would go through what they hope to achieve. There could be an evaluation of people's family circumstances, their background, their financial circumstances and so on. Perhaps it would be a way of administering the scheme on the basis of need with very clear guidelines so that people will know what to expect. Under such a system those who are abusing the system will not qualify and people who are in genuine need and would genuinely benefit from will. There are FÁS schemes under which people apply for grant funding for training. There are also Department of Enterprise and Employment schemes such as Skillsnet, the one of which I am aware. This type of focus may afford a way of accommodating the opportunities and difficulties in this area.