Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 679: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the percentage of the allocation that is paid to a teacher centre (details supplied) in County Donegal that goes towards the administration cost of another teacher centre in the Gaeltacht; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22953/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The full time Education Centre based in Donegal Town has been allocated an amount of €151,812 for 2008. In addition to this the part time Education Centre based in Gortahork has been allocated an amount of €8,889 for 2008. The allocation for the part time centre is administered through Donegal Education Centre and is kept separate from the allocation for the full time centre.

Following a review of the funding model for part time centres in 2006 it was decided that all funding for part time centres should be administered through the full time Education Centre in their catchment area. Prior to this, part time centres administered their own accounts and budgeting. The impetus and rationale for the introduction of the revised funding model was to promote greater cohesion in the Education Centre Network in the context of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) provision and to ensure equality of access to teachers on a regional basis to CPD opportunities. My Department considered Directors of part-time centres to be ideally placed to identify the CPD needs of teachers in their catchments. In alleviating Directors of the administrative and often cumbersome tasks associated with managing a centre, the efforts of the Directors of part-time centres could be more appropriately concentrated on the core objectives of the centre and the Network. In addition to this and mindful of the Department's obligations to the Official Languages Act it was decided to appoint a part time administrator to the three full time Education Centres whose catchment area encompasses the three part time teacher education centres. One of these Centres is Donegal and they have received sanction to appoint such an administrator.