Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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24. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to increase the teaching staff numbers in agricultural colleges in view of increased enrolments together with the commitments laid out in Food Harvest 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20217/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Teagasc has statutory responsibility for the provision of education, research and advisory services to the agricultural sector. Programmes and activities are developed in conjunction with clients and partners overseen by an Authority that is representative of the main stakeholder groups in the agri-food sector. They employ over 1,100 staff in 50 locations throughout the country. The distribution of staff between services is an operational matter for Teagasc management to determine.

The education function works in partnership with many other education stakeholders including Universities, Institutes of Technology and others, to deliver quality-driven education and training courses in agriculture, food, horticulture, forestry and equine studies. Courses are delivered through a network of agricultural colleges, regional and local education centres and in collaboration with 3 privately owned colleges. It is a matter for Teagasc to prioritise activities in the delivery of education services and to allocate resources in accordance with these priorities.

My Department has responded positively to the demand that has arisen for additional college places in recent years sanctioning a number of exceptional appointments in the agricultural colleges. Teagasc was granted sanction in 2011 to recruit 6 contract teachers to cope with staff shortages and increased demand for college places. At the same time, Teagasc introduced a number of complementary initiatives to maximise student participation including increased student-teacher ratios, redeployment of advisory staff to the agricultural colleges and subcontracting the delivery of specific education modules across a number of colleges and local centres. A further 6 teaching posts were approved in 2012 to cover short term absences in the colleges.

More recently, my Department, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, approved the recruitment of 11 new staff in Teagasc in respect of posts deemed mission critical by the organisation, which included 3 posts in the education function. In addition to recruitment posts, Teagasc has also been sanctioned to fill critical gaps in the education function by way of internal promotions.

The increased interest in formal training reflects the very positive view of the agricultural sector as it has evolved in recent years. Food Harvest 2020 and the removal of milk quotas provide additional momentum to the need for a highly educated and motivated workforce. Teagasc is committed to developing its education programmes to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of the agri-food sector. For example, the Teagasc Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management was developed and introduced in response to Food Harvest 2020 recommendations and subsequent implementation group reports which flagged the need for further training opportunities for future dairy farm managers. The new award, which is validated by UCD, has close on forty trainees participating. It should also be recognized that Teagasc’s national network of Discussion Groups make an increasingly important contribution to education providing ongoing structured learning opportunities to close on 14,000 producers annually.

I should also say that all of this takes place within the context of a moratorium on public service recruitment which has significantly reduced the public service pay bill. Within the parameters of that over arching policy, the question of whether to seek sanction to fill particular posts remains an operational matter for Teagasc.