Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 592: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount spent to date under the back to education initiative under the National Development Plan; the amount estimated to be spent by the end of the NDP; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34280/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Provision was made in the National Development Plan 2000-2006 through the Employment and Human Resources Development Operational Programme for funding for Lifelong Learning — Back to Education Initiative. The Back to Education Initiative provides new opportunities for learning through the provision of flexible part-time and full-time programmes that consolidate and build on existing further education services. It provides a progression route for school leavers and a re-entry route for those who wish to update their skills. The Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) and Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) programmes comprise the full time educational options under this initiative.

Expenditure on the Back to Education Initiative, full and part time, between 2000 and June 2006 amounted to €571.4 million. It is expected that an additional €30.05 million will be spent on this by the end of December 2006. A total of €50.8 million of this expenditure on BTEI was spent on the part time BTEI initiative from 2002, when it commenced, up to the end of June 2006 and it is expected that an additional €7 million will be spent on this part time initiative by the end of December 2006.