Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 637 and 638 together.

Following discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, approval for an offer to be made to the unions has been agreed. The proposal is that a grade of Adult Educator will be formally established with a standardised payscale aligned with the Youthreach Resource Person Scale. This grade will apply to tutors employed in ETBs to deliver FET programmes, who are currently employed under a variety of terms and conditions. The formal offer has issued to the Unions and both sides are meeting to discuss the details of the offer.

This proposal builds on the progress made in the regularisation of the adult education tutors with the introduction in 2017 of a consistent method for awarding contracts of indefinite duration across ETBs, and the provision in 2019 of access to leave schemes, paid leave and the appropriate public sector pension scheme.

The provision of a pay scale will allow for incremental progression and a career path for tutors in the further education and training sector.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Where an Education and Training Board (ETB) or PLC college employs personal assistants to provide services under the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD), responsibility for the terms of employment rests with the individual ETB/ Further Education College. The Strategic Performance Agreements for 2022-24 agreed between SOLAS and the individual ETBs provide for the rolling out of the FSD across all FET provision. SOLAS has advised the Department that it will be reviewing the learner supports and associated guidelines and my Department has requested SOLAS to examine the provision of personal assistant services as part of its review.