Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent)
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268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is sufficient regulation of the numbers entering teaching colleges for both primary and second level sectors here; if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the cost to the Exchequer of Ireland's teaching colleges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39819/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The level of student intake to the 5 state-funded primary Colleges of Education is determined annually by my Department. The level of intake to these Colleges has decreased in recent years in light of available resources and factors impacting on demand. The funding provided to primary providers is set out in the attached tables. The figures shown for the HEA funded Colleges include amounts provided for courses other than ITE.
There are 15 providers of post-primary initial teacher education courses; the majority of these are state-funded institutes of technology/universities funded by the HEA. It is not possible to easily extract the funding for the initial teacher education elements provided by these higher education institutes from their overall funding allocations.
Neither my Department, nor any other State body, currently has a role in regulating the number of students enrolled in institutions providing privately-run courses.
In relation to the numbers entering teacher education programmes, my Department is keen to ensure that forecasting mechanisms are developed to ensure an adequate supply of teachers with the required qualifications. However, even with the best possible systems in place, securing equilibrium between demand and supply is not an exact science, and is subject to quite a number of variables. Recent developments, such as the EU rules on mutual recognition of qualifications and increased numbers qualifying from privately-run courses, have also meant that supply is more difficult to control and predict.
I have asked the Teaching Council to advise on this issue. My Department will work with the Council and other relevant stakeholders, as required, towards developing such mechanisms.