Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Section 22 provides that an education and training board may, with the Minister's consent, enter into an arrangement with an education or training provider for the joint performance of any of the board's functions. This will be subject to terms and conditions agreed between the board and the provider. The Minister of the day is given a direction to direct an education and training board to perform functions jointly with an education or training provider where a provider makes such a request to the Minister. The section also introduces an enabling provision to permit education and training boards to provide support services in respect of other education or training providers if they request them. Those support services could include matters such as procurement, human resources, financial, legal, ICT and corporate governance. The provision of support will be subject to ministerial consent and to terms and conditions to be agreed between the parties.

The Minister is also empowered, on foot of a request from an education or training provider, to direct an ETB to provide these supports to that provider.

The legislation places no obligation on education or training providers to avail of any support services, and this is an important part of the amendment. For example, while the Minister might direct an education and training board to arrange to supply services to schools in a locality that are not ETB schools, the legislation does not require a school to avail of those services. In this way, it will remain open to other providers to use or decline services that may be arranged or provided directly by the board.