Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 25: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if adult literacy programmes are restricted by staff embargos and funding restrictions from answering the mushrooming demand for their services. [9754/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1Teachers or teacher equivalents that are directly providing tuition to pupils in schools, in special programmes or in adult or further education settings are exempt from the moratorium on public sector recruitment. This includes adult literacy tutors.

Funding for adult literacy services has increased significantly over recent years to €30 million in 2011. The number of adult literacy participants was 54,000 in 2010.

I am aware that there is significant demand across the range of part-time and full-time further education and training programmes, including adult literacy. As part of its Labour Market Policy, the Government will make literacy and basic workplace skills a national priority, with literacy training incorporated into a wider variety of further education and training programmes. The Government will also address the widespread and persistent problem of adult literacy through the integration of literacy in vocational training and through community education under its lifelong learning policy.