Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will establish a capital expenditure budget for adult education. [19187/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In general adult education programmes are provided either in spare accommodation in schools or in rented premises and are equipped through the relevant Vocational Education Committee. Funding for rental and other costs is made available to the VECs to enable them to obtain accommodation for the different programmes. My Department will continue to keep the accommodation needs of the adult education sector under review.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will double the existing community education and special initiatives for disadvantaged adults budget; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19188/07]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Community education refers to adult education and learning, generally outside the formal education sector, with the aims of enhancing learning, empowerment and contributing to civic society. It is firmly community-based, with local groups taking responsibility for, and playing a key role in, organising courses, deciding on programme-content and recruiting tutors.

Funds for Community Education services are provided by my Department to the Vocational Education Committees. The disbursement of these funds is a matter for each VEC, which, subject to its budget, decides the nature of the Community Education service to be provided in its area and the manner in which Community Education funds should be spent. The Special Initiatives for Disadvantaged Adults Scheme (SPIDAS), which forms part of the same grant as Community Education, enables VECs to support disadvantaged adult students enrolled in second chance education by providing funds towards the cost of fees, books, materials, travel and meals.

Funding is also provided to the Community Education sector through the Back to Education Initiative (Community Education strand). This funding is provided directly by my Department to community groups.

In 2006, funding of €9.4 million was distributed among the VECs for their Community Education Programme, including SPIDAS. The provision for this year is €10 million. In 2006, €1.7 million was paid through the BTEI Community Strand and €2,050,000 has been provided for this year.

In addition to providing funding to the VEC and Community Strand sector, this year, I am providing €110,000 to consolidate women's participation in community education, through the extension and mainstreaming of the AONTAS Women's Community Education Quality Assurance Framework project.

Also, funding of €120,000 has been provided to AONTAS to enable research to be carried out into adult and community education, lifelong learning and civil society.

Participants in community education may avail of the adult guidance service.

My priorities in Adult Education include the development and expansion of the Community Education sector as resources permit. I am not, however, in a position to make a commitment at this stage to a scale of expansion.

I strongly believe in the value of this sector as a key component in the lifelong learning journey, which is now within my Ministerial remit.