Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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184. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 857 of 14 January 2015, the number of staff in her Department who were responsible for the further education, FE, budget prior to 1 January 2014; the number currently employed in her Department involved in the FE function; the actual value of the FE budget these staff were responsible for prior to January 2014; the value of the budget they are currently responsible for; the value of the budgets managed by FÁS prior to 2014 that specifically related to the training function and the actual value of the budget currently managed by SOLAS exclusive of the FE funding previously allocated by the Department directly to the vocational education committees/education and training boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3099/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Prior to January 2014 there were 9 staff involved in managing the budget for the Further Education sector. They were also involved in a range of other matters remaining with the Department, relating to policy development, staffing issues, governance and servicing EU and other international bodies. There was also 3 staff involved in managing the FÁS training budget. Currently there are 6 staff, part of whose role includes the management the combined Further Education and Training Budget. The reduction in staff numbers in this area is due to the transfer of operational matters relating to Further Education programmes from the Department to SOLAS in 2014. It should be noted that my Department remains responsible for managing the estimates cycle in respect of the FET budget and retains responsibility for managing the National Training Fund.

The actual amount of the Further Education Budget prior to January 2014 was €238.6 million. The budget for FE in 2015 is €231.2 million. The value of the budget managed by FÁS prior to 2014 that specifically related to the training function was €381.3 million. The actual value of the budgets managed by SOLAS exclusive of the FE funding previously allocated by the Department directly to the vocational education committees/education and training boards in 2015 is €374.2 million.