Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Improving participation and achievement at every level of education is a key priority for this Government. We have pursued a dual strategy of both encouraging more young people to finish school and ensuring much greater second chance and further education opportunities for those who left school early. This kind of strategy ensures that young people are empowered to achieve their full potential, be that by sitting the leaving certificate or by pursuing qualifications through other pathways such as Youthreach or FÁS apprenticeships which may be more appropriate to their individual interests.

With regard to encouraging more young people to finish school, a number of initiatives have been taken in recent years, including the setting up of the National Education Welfare Board and the provision of extra supports for those at risk of dropping out through the school completion programme and home school community liaison scheme. Under the new action plan for educational inclusion, the DEIS initiative, which I launched last May, extra resources are being provided to schools serving the most disadvantaged communities to help them to improve their retention rates.

The Deputy refers to the monitoring of young people by the National Educational Welfare Board. Section 29 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 provides for the establishment of a register of young persons who leave school to take up employment. I am informed by the National Educational Welfare Board that work is ongoing with regard to establishing this register and a record is kept of all applicants. The register will serve as the basis from which the National Educational Welfare Board can support these young people in making appropriate arrangements for their continuing education and training in consultation with providers and employers.

The board issued an information leaflet to 330,000 families and 4,000 schools in March 2004. The leaflet targeted parents and guardians of children aged between six and 16 years of age and young people aged 16 and 17 who have left school early to start work. It outlined the role that parents and guardians play in ensuring that their children do not miss out on education and training and also gave information about the National Educational Welfare Board.

The board also launched a new lo-call telephone number to inform parents and guardians about their legal role and responsibilities under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. It is manned by EWOs and provides practical help to parents and schools on educational issues. The budget allocation for the National Educational Welfare Board in 2006 is €8.15 million; the allocation to the board has increased by more than 25% since 2004 to support it in delivering on its key objectives.

As regards those who leave second level education prior to the leaving certificate, the available statistical evidence indicates that the increasing range of further education and training opportunities available for these students is having a positive impact. Central Statistics Office data show that the educational profile of 20 to 24 year olds in Ireland has improved steadily over the last five years, as increasing opportunities have been made available in the further education and training sector. By 2005, 86.1% of 20 to 24 year olds had attained upper second level education or equivalent, up from 82.4% in 2000. This indicates that there has been an increase in the proportion of young people with at least the leaving certificate or equivalent. Indeed, the level of educational attainment of Irish young people is ahead of the EU average on that measure.

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. The principal objectives of the measures and programmes funded by my Department in adult and further education are 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.

To ensure that the objectives are a reality, there is a range of provision available in further education. This provision includes such full time programmes as Youthreach, senior Traveller training centres, the vocational training opportunities scheme, post-leaving certificate courses and the part-time initiatives, such as the back to education initiative, the adult literacy and community education schemes. These programmes are funded by the Department and operated and managed primarily by the vocational education committees throughout the country. Further education is expanding. For example, in the literacy sector, the adult literacy client numbers have increased from 5,000 in 1997 to almost 34,000 in 2005.

Post-leaving certificate courses represent another option which is available within the further education suite. The Government's support for this sector is clear from the fact that we have increased the number of post-leaving certificate places by 60% since 1996-97. Indeed, the number of post-leaving certificate 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 post leaving certificate courses are waived. The post-leaving certificate maintenance grant scheme operates on the same basis as in higher education. There were nearly 8,000 post-leaving certificate grant holders in 2005 and they received some €23 million in direct support. The 2006 Estimates include provision for the cost of the extra 100 teaching posts being provided for the post-leaving certificate courses in the current academic year. They also provide for an increase of 19% in the VTOS non-pay grant in 2006. Post-leaving certificate 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 post-leaving certificate schools is also payable. This amounted to €5.5 million in 2005.

The Government has put in place a comprehensive system for ensuring that young people who dropped out of school early and other people who would like to improve their level of education and training after school have access to a variety of different means of doing so.