Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if research has been carried out into effects of the vocational education committees raising of the threshold for senior citizens, for example the discounted cost of adult education courses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27704/05]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the sharp rise in the cost of adult education courses following higher teaching costs being passed on by vocational educational committees; if her attention has further been drawn to the concern among senior citizens and the adult learning population in general; her plans to ensure that vocational educational committees are recompensed for these costs in order that some increases are reduced and no further increases take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27703/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 94 together.

The funding provided by my Department for community education under the adult literacy and community education budget, amounts to nearly €9 million in 2005. This is separate to the back to education initiative, 10% of which is reserved for the non-formal community education field.

Community education is available to all. It refers to education and learning, generally outside the formal education sector, with the aims of enhancing learning, empowerment and contributing to civic society. It is firmly community-based, with local groups taking responsibility for, and playing a key role in organising courses, deciding on programme-content and recruiting tutors.

The grants provided by the Department to the VECs are, first, to enable disadvantaged adults to avail of community education at minimal or no cost and, second, for adult literacy classes for which there is no charge. Others who do not come within the disadvantaged category, or who attend leisure or hobby type courses, have to pay the economic fee.

It is a matter for VECs to finance their adult education programmes from within their approved budgets, and they have discretion in setting the fees charged to those clients who have the means to pay. The fees charged reflect the economic cost of the courses.