Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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273. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she plans a review of the ETB sector as it reaches its ten-year mark; how reports of wrongdoings have been handled and remedied; and the measures in place to ensure that this sector is properly regulated. [5309/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The ETB sector has undergone unprecedented change in recent years.  Under the Education and Training Board Act 2013, the 33 VECs were dissolved and the 16 ETBs established. At the same time, major changes also took place in the coordination and funding of further education and training with the establishment of SOLAS in October 2013.  As well as integrating the further education services delivered by the former VECs, ETBs became responsible for the provision of training formerly delivered or contracted by the former FÁS regional training centres.   

The rationalisation and reform programme of the ETB sector has been on-going since their establishment with the delivery of shared services in areas such as finance and payroll being central to this work.

The main overarching legislative and governance arrangements are as set out in the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 and the Code of Practice for the Governance of ETBs (2019).  A variety of other legislation and regulation also has applicability in the ETB sector (e.g. ethics, tax, employment, protected disclosures, charities, health and safety, freedom of information and child protection legislation). 

A great deal of work has been undertaken to strengthen and improve compliance with governance requirements in recent years, including the updating of the Code of Practice for the Governance of ETBs (2019), training of ETB Board members and senior managers around governance and the Code, putting in place of Oversight Agreement and Performance Delivery Agreements (2020), training on the Code, progress on shared services and engagement with the sector to improve compliance with statutory and other reporting requirements.

My Department will continue to work with the sector to build on the ongoing improvements.