Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a timeframe for the implementation of the McIver report will be drawn up; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5733/06]

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the specific recommendations from the McIver report that will be implemented in 2006; the funding that has been provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5659/06]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 143: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason the McIver report has not been implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5578/06]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the cost incurred by her Department [i]vis-À-vis[/i] the McIver report; and the aspects of the report her Department has implemented. [5788/06]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made on the long overdue implementation of the McIver report. [5787/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 135, 143, 153 and 166 together.

In the period 2001 to 2003, the cumulative cost of consultancy and other relevant fees relating to the McIver report, including taxes, amounted to just over €130,000.

Improving participation and achievement at every level of education is a key priority of this Government. We have put the resources and supports in place to ensure that there is a wide range of course options available in the further and higher education sectors for young people who wish to continue their studies after second level and for people returning to education later in life.

Adult and further education aim to meet the needs of young early school leavers, to provide second chance education for adults and to provide vocational education and training for labour market entrants and re-entrants. The range of provision in further education to achieve these aims include such full-time programmes as Youthreach, senior Traveller training centres, the vocational training opportunities scheme, post-leaving certificate courses and part-time initiatives such as the back to education initiative and the adult literacy and community education schemes.

Post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses, therefore, represent one option in the adult and further education suite of provision. We have increased the number of PLC places by 60% since 1996/97. Indeed, the number of PLC places approved for 2005/06 is up by more than 1,600 on the 2004/05 level. The number of approved places in the sector now stands at 30,188.

Government support for the sector is evident not only in the expansion of approved places and teachers but also in the introduction of maintenance grants for students with effect from September 1998. Tuition fees for PLC courses are waived. The PLC maintenance grant scheme operates on the same basis as in higher education. Over 25% of PLC students were grant holders in 2005 and they received some £23 million in direct support.

PLC students are included in the calculation of non-pay budgets issued to schools in respect of running costs. A supplemental non-pay grant towards running costs specifically for PLC schools is also payable. This amounted to £5.5 million in 2005. Other developments funded by my Department of direct benefit to the PLC sector include the provision of national certification under the Further Education and Training Awards Council and the development of progression links with higher education in the institutes of technology. Government commitment to the sector, by reference to the resources applied in teachers' pay, non-pay running costs, student support and certification costs, is very significant.

The McIver report contains 21 over-arching recommendations, incorporating 91 sub-recommendations. It has been estimated, in consultation with management and staff interests, that the recommendations for staffing would involve at a minimum the creation of at least 800 new posts at a cost of over €48 million. This level of additional provision cannot be considered in isolation from other areas of education.

In their consideration of the needs of the PLC sector into the future my officials have been examining, inter alia, the non-teaching educational tasks particular to PLC teachers, the demands on the management side and the challenges presented by the variation in size of the more than 200 PLC providers. When their deliberations have been completed further discussion with the management and union side will be necessary.