Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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951. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current offering by ETB of craft apprenticeship off-the-job training (phases 2, 4 and 6), by the number of places per intake, for 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32107/25]

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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953. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of staff teaching craft apprenticeship off-the-job training (phases 2, 4 and 6), by ETB, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32109/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 951 and 953 together.

The information that the Deputy has requested is not readily available. My staff are currently collecting this information and I will get back to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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952. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of courses, along with their title and number of places available, that have been discontinued in each ETB, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32108/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Further Education and Training (FET) is primarily delivered or contracted by the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs), within national guidelines.

This Department has significantly increased its investment in the FET sector, from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024. As the state agency responsible for the FET sector in Ireland, SOLAS allocates the vast majority of this funding to the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to deliver FET programmes and services at local level.

As independent statutory organisations, the allocation and management of this funding to different FET programmes within each ETB, and the planning and scheduling of courses, is a matter for the ETB in light of provision needs and available budget. In my role as Minister, I have no function in relation to these operational matters.

My Department does not collect the level of data requested by the Deputy. This would be an operational matter for the 16 ETBs.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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954. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the breakdown of the funding provided to each ETB in the years 2023 and 2024; the level of funding requested by each ETB via the Funding Allocation Request (FAR) procedure; the actual funding provided; if in 2024 no such FAR was used and his Department allocated based on a different criteria, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32110/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My officials are in the process of obtaining the requested information from SOLAS and will forward a response to the Deputy separately.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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955. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to the additional funding of €67 million in Budget 2024 and €77 million in Budget 2025, where this additional funding was spent; the level of funding that has been drawn down in the current year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32111/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The additional funding allocated to Apprenticeship in Budget 2024 (€67m) and Budget 2025 (€77.4m) is allocated by way of grant funding via the National Training Fund to SOLAS and the HEA who fund apprenticeship programmes in education institutions. Following Budget 2025, current funding investment by my Department in apprenticeships is €339m. Some €170.1m (50%) of the funding has been allocated to 31 May 2025.

Apprenticeships are demand led and this investment has been vital for the increase of yearly apprentice registrations from 6,177 in 2019 to over 9,300 in 2024, making significant progress towards the Government target of 12,500 registrations per year by 2030. This increased capacity supports skills development in 77 occupations across the private and public sectors, including particularly the construction sector, supporting delivery of Government commitments on Housing for All, and the Climate Action Plan.