Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 583: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the entire spending on vocational educational committee education here; the number of teachers and non-teachers employed in the VEC system in each of the 33 separate VECs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17546/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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There are 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) established under, and governed according to the Vocational Education Acts, 1930 to 2001. Each VEC is a statutory body with its own corporate status. Financial allocations are made to the VECs as part of a block grant. VECs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of their budgets and each VEC is allowed to distribute its allocations in line with its priorities and perceptions of need. The total allocation for the VEC sector in 2009 amounts to €951.677m. This is comprised of €769.989m for pay and €181.688m for non-pay.

The total grant to the Vocational Education Committees for 2008 amounted to some €933.3m. The VEC expenditure grant is divided into pay and non-pay, and represents the maximum amount that a VEC may spend under these headings. It is not open to a VEC to transfer funds between the pay and non-pay headings. The term "pay" covers the cost of sanctioned posts directly on the VEC's payroll at authorised rates of pay, broken down into instruction pay (teachers), administration pay (clerical and administrative staff) and maintenance pay (caretakers and cleaners). Both teaching and non-teaching staff allocations are approved on a VEC basis and it is a matter for each VEC to distribute the staffing allocations concerned within their scheme. Total pay expenditure amounted to some €756.625m in 2008. Teachers' salaries account for approximately 83% of pay costs.

The term "non-pay" covers all items other than pay and grants for committed items that are provided for separately. The non-pay allocation to each VEC is determined having regard to the VEC's estimate of expenditure and receipts, the level of VEC receipts indicated being achieved, pupil enrolment variation, various programmes being run by the committee and the amount available for distribution. To afford flexibility, a block allocation is made under this heading, giving each VEC a high level of autonomy in its management. A separate subhead is mainly used to meet the non-pay costs of vocational training programmes, including PLC, Youthreach and Senior Traveller programmes for early school leavers, the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) for unemployed adults and the BTEI part time option. Total non-pay expenditure amounted to approximately €176.67m in 2008.

As of January 2009 approximately 9,069 whole time equivalent (wte) teaching posts and 709 SNA (wte) posts are allocated to VEC schools. A breakdown of the allocation of teaching and SNA posts in each VEC is attached for the Deputy's information. The information sought by the Deputy in relation to non-teaching and ancillary staff is not readily available. I have asked my officials to compile this information and to forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.