Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 515: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the level of funding which has been allocated to Waterford City VEC for each year since 2002; the percentage of this budget which has been allocated towards community education for each of these years; the community education budget for 2007; the number of classes which have been facilitated under the community education budget for each year since 2002; the projected number of classes that will be organised utilising the community education budget for 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7611/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Adult and Further Education services are funded by my Department through annual grants and delivered locally by the Vocational Education Committees. One of these annual grants is for Adult Literacy and Community Education. The disbursement of funds for Adult Literacy and Community Education is a matter for each VEC, which, subject to its budget, decides the nature and extent of the Adult Literacy and Community Education services to be provided in its area and the manner in which funds for these services should be spent. The role of my Department is confined to paying the grants and receiving accounts of expenditure. Detailed records relating to the grant are compiled and retained by the VECs.

Funding provided to the City of Waterford VEC since 2002 under the Adult Literacy and Community Education Programme was as follows: 2002 — €324,139, 2003 — €407,174, 2004 — €410,000, 2005 — €476,308, 2006 — €475,830. The percentage of the budget allocated towards Community Education is as follows: 2002 — 29%, 2003 — 31%, 2004 — 31%, 2005 — 28%, 2006 — 29%.

The number of classes that have been facilitated by the Community Education budget since 2002 is as follows: 2002 — 153, 2003 — 133, 2004 — 119, 2005 — 111, 2006 — 110. The projected number of classes for 2007 is 55.

The Community Education Budget for 2007 is currently being finalised and will be notified to the VEC by the Department in the coming weeks.