Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the timeline and stages of plans to amalgamate Cavan and Monaghan vocational education committees; if he will confirm that the incoming newly amalgamated board is to have only two staff representatives, one from Cavan and one from Monaghan; his views on whether this is under-representative in view of the role of staff in the delivery of services; if he will commit to ensure that this will not be the case; the measures he will take to ensure appropriate staff and service user representation on the incoming board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56991/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In June of 2011, I announced that the existing 33 VECs would be amalgamated into 16 new Education and Training Boards (ETBs). In October 2011, I announced the locations of headquarters and sub-offices for those 16 bodies. The Government has introduced the Education and Training Boards Bill 2012 into the Dáil. This Bill will serve as the legislative basis for the new local Education and Training Board system. It has passed second stage in the Dáil, and the Oireachtas Select Sub-committee on Education and Skills is scheduled to consider it on 17 January 2013.

Following enactment of the Bill, it is my intention to move as quickly as possible to establish all of the Education and Training Boards, including the Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board.

The Bill provides for an 18 person board composed of 10 local authority representatives, 2 staff representatives, 2 parents' representatives and 4 others to be co-opted by that "core" board from such bodies as the Minister may determine. Staff representatives will be required to be members of staff of the new board to which they are seeking election and certain senior grades (eg CEO) will be ineligible to go forward for election. Although the Bill allows the Minister to make regulations for the conduct of staff representative elections, it is silent with regard to the geographic distribution of staff representatives.

In arriving at the proposed 18 member Board, with 10 local authority members, two parental representatives, two staff representatives and four representatives from bodies to be nominated by the Minister, I am seeking to achieve the optimal balance between a pragmatic size of board and democratic and local representation through local authority members, staff, parents and others.

The board composition envisaged under the new legislation will not come into effect until after the local elections, scheduled for June 2014. In the interim, all existing members of the VECs will continue to be members of the new ETBs once established.