James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 609: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason senior Traveller training centres are facing phasing out over a period of ten to 15 years with the trainees integrated into other adult education programmes; if his attention has been drawn to the gap which such closures will leave in the provision of specific focused education for Travellers, which is already suffering from the effects of the new policy of limiting enrolment to trainees over the age of 18 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17712/09]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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In 2006, my Department published a Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy. The Strategy recommended that Senior Traveller Training Centres (STTCs) be reviewed and their future role clarified. The Strategy also recommended that people under 18 years of age should not be enrolled in STTCs.

Subsequently, my Department published a Value for Money (VFM) Review of the Youthreach and STTC programme in 2008. The VFM Review recommended that STTCs be phased out as a segregated provision over 10 – 15 years and merged into mainstream further education. In addition, it recommended that STTCs should cater for adults over 18 years of age. The full suite of mainstream further and adult education programmes, such as the Vocational Training Opportunity Scheme (VTOS), the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI), Adult Literacy and Community Education, is available to all learners, including Travellers. Travellers are already accessing mainstream further and adult education provision, especially in areas where there is no STTC. Travellers under 18 years of age should be in mainstream post-primary schools or, if they leave school early, they may apply to participate in the Youthreach programme.

As part of Budget 2009, it was announced that the provision in STTCs would be reduced by 100 places to 984 places from September 2009 as part of a prioritised approach to expenditure. VECs were notified of their revised allocations of places on 1 May 2009.