P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 640: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the amount awarded by her to any of the organisations involved in social partnership for each of the years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010; the details of such payments; the amount awarded; the details of the payments by each of the agencies and bodies under the aegis of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30985/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Funding provided to the Vocational Education Committees' National Partnership Forum and to the Institutes of Technology National Partnership Forum to assist in the operation of their Partnership programmes is outlined in the table below. The total cost of this funding from 2004 to date was €3.19 million, and the main application of the funds was for the pay of partnership co-ordinators and facilitators, national and regional partnership meetings in Ireland, and office administration costs.

In 2001, my Department agreed through the Teachers Conciliation Council to provide £7,500 annually to each of the three teacher unions towards the cost of substitution, enabling the release of executive members to conduct union business. This payment is reviewed in line with pay movement affecting teachers' salaries. The total cost of this measure from 2004 to date in 2010 is €237,000. My Department funds professional development courses for teachers organised by teacher unions. The total cost of this funding from 2004 to date was €1.62 million. The amounts paid in each year to each union are in the attached document. It has not been possible in the time available to include details for FÁS which will be supplied to the Deputy in the near future.