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

The pools will be fundamentally transformed. There are currently 33 pools but there will be 16 education and training boards, ETBs. I will refer to the Senator's example theoretically rather than in a personal way, and the person will now see a combination of three VECs go to one education and training board. It would be up to the incoming chief executive of the larger education and training board to deploy personnel as he or she sees best with the co-operation and agreement of the individual. We have had a difficult and incomplete journey in getting an agreed mechanism for existing confirmed permanency executive officers to rearrange themselves across the 16 new ETBs. I would hesitate to give any undertaking in primary legislation debate to that kind of matter.

I commend the senior civil servants involved as this has been a purely administrative exercise and I have not been involved in it politically at all. Great progress has been made, and anybody reading this debate should have some confidence in the progress made so far. Experience and talent acquired in the course of somebody acting in a capacity above what he or was doing previously should not be wasted but it seems that is a management decision rather than one for legislation. I know the Senator is seeking clarification rather than a change to the legislation but it is a matter for discussion.