Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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518. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of green certificate courses which were scheduled to take place in 2017 that have been subsequently cancelled by county, in tabular form; the number of young farmers that had enrolled in each course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8083/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Green Cert is delivered on a full-time, part-time and distance education basis by Teagasc education staff. Teagasc has enrolled over 4,500 learners to its Green Cert programme in the years 2014 to 2016. I understand that Teagasc would hope to offer up to 1,000 Green Cert places in 2017. A request for 15 new temporary teaching posts was recently approved by my Department to assist delivery. I understand that Teagasc intend to deploy a substantial number of these posts to respond to the acute demand in the Northwest and Northeast regions. It brings the total amount of temporary Green Cert teachers approved since 2014 to 85. The scheduling of Green Cert courses is exclusively an operational matter for Teagasc. I am advised by Teagasc that no Green Cert courses were scheduled and subsequently cancelled in 2017.