Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. As my colleague Senator Averil Power stated, we support this Bill. We initially started the work in this regard and, therefore, support the Minister in finishing it.

I agree with Senator D'Arcy. I pay tribute to the VECs throughout the Twenty-six Counties which have, since 1930, done such trojan work in providing educational services to their communities. I was not in favour of amalgamation in the VEC sector but I understand and support what is being provided for in this Bill.

My main interest is the adult and further education sector. This sector has been regarded by some as an add-on to the post-primary sector rather than a strong sector in its own right. It is a strong sector and considerable developments and progress have been made in this area in recent years. I ask the Minister to ensure that, when establishing the ETBs, the adult literacy community and adult education will be protected and subject to the same focus. This is an area in which we have seen considerable improvements over the years. These improvements must not be lost. I pay tribute to the adult education officer in County Cavan VEC, Ms Fiona Moloney, and her colleagues in Cavan and throughout the country. They provide excellent facilities in the sector.

The Education (Amendment) Bill 2010, introduced by former Minister Mary Coughlan, made detailed statutory provision for the role of VECs in developing community primary schools as part of publicly managed, multidenominational, inclusive and religiously neutral primary school provision. When the current Minister introduced the replacement Bill in the Seanad in January 2012, he drew explicit attention to the omission of this area of statutory provision from the Bill. He explained that he was awaiting the report from Professor Coolahan's forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector. This report has been available for some time, thus making it very strange that the Education and Training Boards Bill has no provision that parallels those in the Bill introduced by former Minister Mary Coughlan in 2010. What is the reason for this? What plans exist for the further development of the community primary school model under the aegis of the ETBs?

The Bill must be read in conjunction with the Bill recently introduced by Minister of State Deputy Ciarán Cannon in the Dáil, the Further Education and Training Bill 2013. The Bill which is coming from the Dáil to the Seanad appears, on the basis of the opportunity available to me to examine this matter, to make no explicit reference to the new further education and training authority, SOLAS, except in respect of the provision of a function of the ETB in section 10 (1)(i) to provide education and training at the request of, and on behalf of, any body which funds training out of the money provided to that body by the Oireachtas. I welcome clarification on how the Minister intends that the ETB will relate to the planned further education and training authority, SOLAS, particularly in light of the very broad functions being assigned to the ETBs in section 10 (1)(c), namely, to "plan, provide, coordinate and review the provision of, education and training and services ancillary thereto in its functional area". It is worth noting that the Further Education and Training Bill 2013 suggests that on the dissolution of FÁS, as legislatively provided for, the transfer of its training centres will be to SOLAS rather than to the ETBs. That is my understanding but perhaps it could be clarified by the Minister.

In the Bill, the body to replace the IVEA as a representative body for local education authorities, ETB Ireland, is explicitly and frequently legislated for. In section 10(5), the Minister may request it to conduct surveys and to give assistance to ETBs as the Minister considers necessary. In sections 21 and 22, the Minister may request the new national body to give such assistance to the ETBs as he or she considers necessary for the implementation of a direction. Does this mean what was the IVEA will now become an agency of the Minister rather than a representative body for the education and training authorities? Surely the Minister realises the need for an independent voice for the new local or regional educational and training bodies. The quality-of-education debate and the quality of policy-making require that the view from the ground, from those providing the services closest to the people, must be independently heard and not just become one part of the machinery of central government. I acknowledge that the Minister is sympathetic to this line of thinking but I would like to hear him outline the nature of the relationship and how the independent voice of the IVEA can be maintained.

Some concerns have been raised by administrators within the current VECs that will be amalgamated. Concerns include the existing financial software. The majority of VECs will no longer be capable of processing the information of the amalgamated entity. Perhaps the Minister could clarify this. Difficulties could arise when reporting to the Revenue Commissioners and other statutory agencies.

I appreciate that changing over to the new system is a major undertaking and it will take time to ensure that it runs smooth and successful, unlikely SUSI, which the Minister will forgive me for mentioning.

I seek clarification on the membership of boards. The appointment of parents' representatives will now be nominated from the national bodies. I do not agree with that. If it is a local education board, it should be democratically elected within that region. I accept the Minister states those appointed must come from within the administrative district or whatever, but the local people would feel greater ownership of the representatives on the board if they were democratically elected at local level.