Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on whether there is poor co-ordination between the Department of Education and Science and his Department on the issue of providing skills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11343/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am satisfied that there is good co-ordination between my Department and the Department of Education and Science on the issue of providing skills. There is regular contact and co-ordination between the two Departments, both in the identification of skills needs and in the responses required to meet those needs. This co-ordination is achieved through regular interaction between officials in a number of fora and on a day-to-day basis. The following are just some examples of how deep and wide this interaction is.

In terms of policy development, both the Minister for Education and Science and I are represented by our departmental officials as advisers to the expert group on future skills needs. This is one of the principal fora dedicated to addressing skills issues at the nexus of the education and training strands of policy. In that context, there is ongoing discussion involving both Department officials and representatives from their respective agencies — Forfás, FAS and the HEA — leading to agreed policy advice to myself and the Minister for Education and Science on a range of skills related issues. Officials from both the Department of Education and Science and my Department are also participating on an interdepartmental group on lifelong learning to further the lifelong learning agenda. Both Departments also participate in the ongoing work in supporting the implementation of the national workplace of the future strategy.

Both Departments or their respective agencies have representatives on a number of boards, councils or other bodies appointed either by myself or the Minister for Education and Science. The Department of Education and Science and/or its agencies, for example, are represented on the FÁS board, FÁS committees at local and national level, ESF committees and CEB structures. My Department and/or its agencies are represented on the HEA, the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC. In addition, there is significant ongoing interaction on skills related topics between the respective Departments and agencies under the aegis of both ministries.

These examples give some sense of the degree to which there exists a regular flow of information and joint participation in policy development processes involving the two Departments.