Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 544: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the costs associated with the calling of statutory meetings of each vocational education committee authority for each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28740/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Each VEC is required to hold at least 10 statutory meetings of its full committee per annum. In addition, it is a statutory requirement, under Section 32 of the Vocational Education (Amendment) Act 2001, that a finance sub-committee is formed to report to the main committee on at least four occasions per year. VECs may also establish other statutory sub-committees, as provided for by Section 31 of the 2001 Act. Indeed, it is a requirement of the VEC Code of Governance that each VEC form an audit committee in accordance with this section of that Act.

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. Costs associated with the calling of statutory meetings are met from these financial allocations, and in that regard the Deputy will appreciate that the information requested is not held in my Department and that it would require an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the replacement of two retiring adult education officers in Mayo Vocational Education Committee; if his attention has been drawn to the High Court judgment to the effect that adult education organisers are deemed to be and categorised as being educationalists and are therefore not subject to and outside of a moratorium ban on general recruitment; and if he will arrange for replacements to be appointed to fulfil programmes of adult education in this VEC area. [28741/09]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will confirm if replacements for adult education organisers are exempt from a moratorium on public recruitment on the basis that their positions are categorised as educationalist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28742/09]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 545 and 546 together.

The posts referred to by the Deputy are subject to the moratorium on recruitment and promotion applicable to the civil and public service and my Department does not have any authority to approve the filling of the posts.

On 30 March 2009, the Department issued Circular 23/2009 - Implementation of Moratorium on Recruitment and Promotions in the Public Service - to VECs outlining the impact of the moratorium. The moratorium is specific in relation to frontline services in schools. Teachers and SNAs will be governed by a ceiling to be determined in the Autumn, rather than an embargo on filling vacancies as they arise, which is the case across most of the public sector. This arrangement applies to teachers or teacher equivalents that are directly providing tuition to pupils in schools, in special programmes or in adult and further education settings.

The implications of the moratorium on all areas of education are currently under examination in my Department.