Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that community and adult education has a strong role to play within the new education and training authority SOLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43076/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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SOLAS, the new education and training authority, is being established under the aegis of my Department to ensure the provision of 21st century high-quality further education and training programmes to learners. These programmes will be integrated, flexible, value-for-money and responsive to the needs of learners and the requirements of a changed and changing economy.

Adult and community education programmes are a response to the training needs of a range of people, but in particular the disadvantaged, the hard-to-reach and the low skilled. In order to continue to meet the needs of this cohort, we will require adult and community education programmes; they will therefore remain part of an integrated further education and training sector.