John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has reviewed the impact statement prepared by Ballyfermot College for Further Education assessing the impact of the new 19:1 student teacher ratio, which is resulting in the redeployment of 18 teaching posts and loss of 10 teaching posts equating to a 20% loss in teaching capacity to the serious detriment of the College’s ongoing capacity to deliver high-quality specialist courses, noting that many of these courses have a proven track record in supporting the employability of BCFE students and which have supported and sustained many domestic small and medium enterprises, including a number of internally-renowned firms in the areas of animation and associated creative and digital fields. [16772/13]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Ballyfermot College of Further Education is operated as an approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) centre by City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee (CDVEC). Resources are allocated by my Department under the PLC programme to CDVEC and further distribution of these resources to colleges under its remit, including Ballyfermot College, is a matter for CDVEC.

As you are aware all VECs will have until next September to plan for the reduced allocation across their schools/colleges so that they can continue to deliver programmes which closely meet the needs of both students and employers. My Department has received an impact statement from CDVEC on the effect of the regression in the PLC pupil teacher ratio on each of its PLC centres including Ballyfermot College. This is currently being considered along with impact statements from a number of other VECs.