Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to amend the apprentice plumber courses in FÁS to ensure that the waiting times to access college at the different phases is reduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21171/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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FÁS registered apprentices attend Institutes of Technology for the 4th and 6th phases of their apprenticeship training and my Department provides funding to the institutes for these places. At present, there is a total of 75 Blocks (one Block provides for 16 apprentice places) of apprentice training provided countrywide in the trade of plumbing. Overall, the number of Plumbing Blocks provided in the Institutes of Technology has increased from 46 in the 2000/2001 academic year to 75 in the current academic year.

Notwithstanding this increase in training capacity, the level of registrations in plumbing apprenticeship remains high. Over the last number of years, my Department has also provided funding to Institutes to run additional apprentice courses during the summer months across a number of trades, including plumbing. While funding was again available this year for summer courses, it was not possible to reach agreement with the TUI on the provision of these courses.

My Department continues to liaise with FÁS, the Institutes of Technology and other interested parties in order to ensure that national training needs are met. In this regard, my Department has received proposals from a number of Institutes that are interested in increasing their capacity. These proposals are currently being examined in the light of available resources.