Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to maximise the number of training and or up skilling places likely to be provided through SOLAS and or other agencies with consequent reduction in the numbers on the live register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4538/13]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Despite reducing resources, my Department will fund up to 430,000 education and training places across the range of provision in the higher education, further education and training sectors in 2013. Owing to the number of long-term unemployed and the need to keep these individuals close to the labour market, places on certain programmes have been prioritised specifically for those who have been unemployed for 12 months or more. In relation to SOLAS, the recently published SOLAS Implementation Plan further articulates a key role for SOLAS in terms of proposing a clear strategy for the Further Education and Training sector that is consistent with policy in this area to enable informed prioritisation of scarce resources by my Department and its agencies.