Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount the Central Bank of Ireland has spent on training for its staff in 2014 and 2015; the details of each course provided including the name, the cost and the number of participating staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41065/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Each year the Central Bank reports on its training expenditure in its Annual Report (see note 8). The total spend in 2014 was €2,299,816, with 1,180 staff members availing of training. The amount spent on training to 30 July 2015 has been €1,102,484, with 1,092 participating staff members.

The Central Bank's training takes a variety of formats: in-house, external, through the Bank's own online training portal, third level, post-graduate and approved professional qualifications. The courses undertaken include accountancy, legal, risk management, finance and human resources. Training ranges from half-days on relevant topics to post-graduate qualifications. In recent years the Central Bank has shifted to providing more training by way of its online portal, where possible.

The Central Bank places a strong ongoing focus on, and investment in, the capability of its staff, who are key to delivering on its mandate. The Bank's HR strategy therefore has a strong emphasis on staff development which is delivered through a targeted Learning and Development programme. This is influenced by:

- Emerging issues and trends in financial services;

- The need for continual development of staff knowledge and expertise; and

- The addition of relevant new qualifications and to ensure existing qualifications are up to date.