Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Section 6 is designed to encourage increasing numbers of young people to avail of educational and training opportunities. Our priority, therefore, is to ensure an adequate number of places will be available in the first instance. The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Minister for Education and Science and I have, through meetings of the Cabinet sub-committee on economic renewal, made good progress on ensuring we can meet the needs of the young people to whom I refer.

Thousands of courses are available throughout the country because different VECs and FÁS centres provide such courses. In addition, courses are available at Traveller training centres and people can avail of adult literacy courses. As a result, it would be impossible to publish a list of courses for the entire country. However, we are making arrangements to make available to 18 and 19 year olds who are signing on information on courses provided locally. This will allow them to investigate the courses that might best suit their needs. Their facilitators will then decide whether the courses they have chosen are appropriate. If the latter proves to be the case, these people can then be transferred to the relevant courses and instead of just receiving €100 jobseeker's benefit they will also obtain the allowances attaching to the courses they have chosen to pursue.

I accept that the intention behind the amendment is to ensure information is made available. However, it would be impossible to provide such information on a nationwide basis. We will, therefore, provide such information on a local basis.