Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount of money spent on an annual basis on education and training of staff in 2011 and to date in 2012; the number of staff that availed of each course; if she will provide a list of the courses staff undertook and the cost of each course per person. [38480/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As a relatively new and small Department with a significant body of work to conduct over the next few years I am very much aware of the key role that education, training and development of staff will play in order to help achieve comprehensive reform of services and protection for children. An education and training strategy is currently under development in my Department and we intend becoming an organisation that values and encourages life-long learning.

While the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in the format requested, I can confirm that approximately €56,000 has been spent on education and training since the Department was established in June 2011. This takes account of expenditure on refund of fees for officials undertaking 3rd level qualifications in their own time, attendance at training programmes, seminars and conferences aimed at skills development and corporate memberships which are accounted for under the training budget. In addition, informal or on-the-job training is an important source of training and development and is used widely but as it is considered as part of normal working it is not accounted for in the above figures.

Expenditure to-date is relatively small at this stage but I expect this level of investment to grow as the education and training strategy is finalised and more training is introduced.