Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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247. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will set up a tourism training division in conjunction with SOLAS to address the demand in the tourism and hospitality sectors (details supplied). [36759/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Under the National Tourism Development Authority Act, 2003 the training and education of workers in the tourism and hospitality industry fall under the remit of Fáilte Ireland. Fáilte Ireland have responsibility under the Act for encouraging, promoting and supporting the recruitment, training, and education and development, of persons for the purposes of employment in connection with the tourism industry in the State. My Department has a broader concern that training and education offerings are aligned with the needs of industry and job seekers. In this context, officials of my Department met representatives of the hospitality industry and my Department will continue to examine the availability of genuine job opportunities in this area and review training offerings in that light. However, in the light of Fáilte Ireland's responsibility in this area, there are no plans to establish dedicated arrangements in respect of this sector. It should be noted that FÁS has recently developed a small number of foundation level courses in catering and hospitality through its Local Training Initiatives, Community Training Centres and Specialist Training Providers. These awards/modules are offered in response to specific local requests where there is a recognised employment opportunity.