Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of providing all unemployed persons with low or no qualifications with access to an intensive basic education course leading to a level three or junior certificate qualification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12161/16]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of providing all adults with less than a level four or leaving certificate qualification with access to an intensive basic education course that enables them to move one level up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12162/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together.

My Department does not have details of the number of unemployed persons with low or no qualifications or the number of adults with less than Level 4 or a Leaving Certificate qualification therefore it is not possible to provide a costing as requested by the Deputy.

The Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE) programme is operated locally by Education and Training Boards and provides six hours of tuition per week instead of the two hours generally available through the mainstream adult literacy programme. Learners are offered a place on the programme by the Literacy service where this is deemed to be the most beneficial provision for them.

Over 3,800 people availed of this intensive tuition in 2015 at a cost of €1.7 million.