Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister. Leitrim County Childcare Committee, of which I am chairman on a pro bono basis, has completed a survey of 253 people who have completed FETAC training since 2004. We have found that, in the main, people are working in part-time or full-time jobs in the child care sector. I refer to that figure in the context of ongoing investigations into child care facilities being carried out by RTE and other agencies. In County Leitrim we have no problem sourcing qualified and skilled staff; in fact, we have a surplus. There has been considerable interest in furthering the qualifications of the 253 people concerned to third level. However, the common issue noted by all of them was the level of fees. These child care workers have to study part time as they are working. However, as salaries in the child care sector tend to be low, the fees are prohibitive. For example, to access the bachelor of arts degree course in Sligo in early childhood care and education part-time, it costs €12,000 over four years. This is beyond the means of the majority of those working in the early years sector.

What supports are available to potential part-time students who find themselves in this position? We have had a number of queries on the matter. In the light of the concerns expressed by the Minister's Cabinet colleague about the level of qualifications and the recent inspection of 15 child care facilities, which did not include any in County Leitrim, this is an opportunity for those who genuinely want to further their qualifications in the child care sector and they will then find they have work to do. In that context, I ask for the observations of the Minister.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I am responding to this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills.

I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline the supports available to part-time students who have completed FETAC training in child care. The Department provides a range of further education programmes designed to cater for those who wish to upskill, including the back to education initiative, BTEI. The BTEI provides flexible part-time options across further education and is aimed at adults with less than upper second level education, including unemployed adults. The overall aim is to increase the participation of young people and adults with less than upper second level education in a range of part-time accredited learning opportunities leading to awards on the national framework of qualifications to facilitate their access, transfer and progression to other education or employment pathways. The BTEI enables providers to increase participation through a wider range of flexible options which are appropriate to the particular circumstances of learners, enabling them to combine family, work or personal responsibilities with learning opportunities.

In the current context, the BTEI enables providers to address the skills needs of unemployed persons, in particular the priority groups identified in the Government's activation agenda, and develop part-time education and training opportunities for low skilled people in employment to gain qualifications. Learners participating in the BTEI programme may continue to receive social protection payments subject to satisfying the conditions of the Department of Social Protection.

Students can apply for a place on a Springboard course. Springboard which was first introduced in 2011 is a specific initiative that provides free part-time flexible reskilling opportunities at higher education levels for unemployed and previously self-employed persons in areas with emerging skill needs such ICT, pharmchem and international financial services. It is targeted at graduates and non-graduates previously employed in sectors and jobs where employment levels are unlikely to return to pre-recession levels who will need to reskill for different types of employment. Approximately 10,000 places have been provided under the two rounds of the programme issued to date. A call for proposals for courses to be run under Springboard 2013 was issued by the Higher Education Authority in February and is expected to provide in excess of 5,000 new places this year. Details of the courses selected will be available in the coming weeks.

To be eligible for a place on a Springboard course, a person must be unemployed, actively seeking employment and in receipt of one of the qualifying social protection allowances or signing for credits or previously self-employed. Students who have completed FETAC training are eligible to apply for support under the scheme. In addition, tax relief is also available on fees for approved part-time courses. Full details of this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners.

The Department of Education and Skills funds a student grants scheme for third level and further education students. Under the terms of the student grants scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Under the scheme, an approved course is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years duration or a full-time postgraduate course of not less than one year duration pursued in an approved institution. A student who has completed FETAC training in child care and subsequently undertakes a full-time undergraduate course or postgraduate course may be eligible for support under the scheme. The scheme for the 2013-14 academic year was published on 16 May and is available on the student finance website. To determine eligibility for the 2013-14 academic year, a student may submit a fully completed online grant application to Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, via the SUSI or student finance websites.

The Minister will take the concerns of the Senator and those of students into consideration during the budgetary process and will endeavour to protect, to the greatest extent possible, the most disadvantaged students in further and higher education.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that the Minister is responding to the debate on behalf of his colleague.

It is also an opportunity for the Government of the day to highlight what it believes to be its priorities rather than to address the specific issues that are raised in the question. In this instance, I must say I am somewhat disappointed with three quarters of the reply. It does not really address what I specifically asked. The final part of the reply makes reference to the fact that staff can undertake full-time FETAC training in child care, but I made it quite clear that the issue I am concerned with is part-time training. Many of the people in our survey who have undertaken FETAC training up to level 5 are working in the home and would not, therefore, be in a position to take up full-time study. All of these courses, with respect, apply to those who are completely unemployed and who want to get involved in full-time education or to upskill from another sector. The people to whom I refer do not want to re-skill or upskill in some other area. They want to enhance their skills in the area they have already chosen, namely child care. The only glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel is provided by the final sentence, where the Minister says that he takes on board the concerns that have been raised in this motion and that they will be given consideration in the context of the budgetary process. I know it is completely outside the Minister's brief but I am sure that he is as concerned about the unemployed in his area as I am about those without work in my own. I hope that as he sits at the Cabinet table he will take account of the fact that there is a cohort of people who would like to continue in part-time education but who cannot do so because they cannot afford the fees. I thank the Minister for his reply.