Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 743: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her budget for literacy in adults in each year from 2000 to 2005; if there is a separate literacy budget for the Prison Service; the amount which has been allocated to the City of Dublin Vocational Educational Committee for literacy initiatives in each of the years already mentioned; the number of literacy organisers who are employed in the Dublin area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29275/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds the provision of adult literacy, which is delivered by the vocational education committees, from the adult literacy and community education — ALCES — budget. The national development plan committed €93.5 million to the service in the period 2000-06, with a target of reaching 113,000 clients over that period. This target will be met.

The Department's budget for adult literacy for the years 2000-05 was €10.6 million for 2000; €13.6 million for 2001; €16.7 million for 2002; €17.9 million for 2003; €19.2 million for 2004; and €22 million for 2005. My Department, under a separate budget, provides for an education service in the prisons. This prison education budget includes literacy.

The amount allocated to City of Dublin VEC for literacy initiatives in each of the years 2001-05 was €1,194,457 for 2001; €2,718,106 for 2002; €2,687,136 for 2003; €2,734,000 for 2004; and €2,908,406 for 2005. The amount allocated for the year 2000 is not readily available as it is archived. The Department will, however, furnish this information to the Deputy within the next few days. It should be noted that the figure for 2005 represents the provision only.

The returns made to the Department for the year ended December 2004 indicate that City of Dublin VEC has four full-time and six part-time adult literacy organisers; Dún Laoghaire VEC has one full-time and no part-time adult literacy organiser; and County Dublin VEC has five full-time and six part-time adult literacy organisers. The Dublin Adult Learning Centre is funded separately to provide literacy services in its catchment area. This funding is additional to the City of Dublin VEC funding detailed above but is channelled through the City of Dublin VEC for administrative purposes.