Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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91. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of persons in the labour force who have basic or above basic digital skills based on latest data at hand in addition to the corresponding EU average rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11037/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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EUROSTAT data for 2015, the latest available, records that the percentage of the labour force in Ireland with basic overall digital skills is 22% with the EU average being 31%. 29% of the labour force in Ireland had above basic digital skills as against an EU average of 32%.

A range of actions are in place across the entire education system to support the acquisition of enhanced digital skills and to increase the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning.

In March 2014, my Department and the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, launched the ICT Skills Action Plan 2014 - 2018. The plan sets out a collaborative, system-wide response, across Departments, agencies and the education and enterprise sectors aimed at building the domestic supply of graduates from the education system and ensuring Ireland maintains a strong ICT talent pool and promoting Ireland internationally as a centre for high-level ICT skills.

A number of significant developments have taken place since the ICT Action Plan was published. In 2015, my Department published the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and last year the National Skills Strategy 2025 was published, each of which includes a range of relevant actions that will support the development of digital skills both directly through curricula and through technology enhanced learning.

 A key theme in the 2017 Action Plan for Education is enhanced use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment at all levels. Actions this year include the commencement of the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, supporting SOLAS on the implementation of the Strategy for Technology Enhanced Learning in FET 2016-2019 which this year will see each ETB develop a bring your own device policy.

 Within the Higher Education sector, a number of actions are included to implement the Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World 2015-2017 aimed at supporting the development and embedding of digital capacity in teaching and learning activities and developing consistent digital experiences for learners.