Vol. 497 No. 6
35 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps, if any, being put in place for a consultation process with interested groups in relation to the recently published Green Paper on Adult Education; when this will be completed and a White Paper published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25790/98]
The Green Paper, Adult Education in an Era of Lifelong Learning, was launched on 24 November 1998 and copies have been issued to second and third level educational institutions and to all other interested parties. It is intended to have a wide-ranging consultation process and debate which will enable my Department to define its priorities and to plan the development of the sector in a White Paper. The specific details have not yet been finalised but the consultation process will include a number of seminars hosted by my Department, a request for submissions and observations from interested parties and meetings with all key interest groups. This process is expected to be completed in about six months.
A White Paper will be prepared and published on completion of the consultation process.
Could the Minister indicate the range of organisations which it is proposed to invite to the seminars?
Organisations such as Aontas, NALA and organisations involved on the community side will be invited. I have asked the officials in my Department to send me a detailed submission on this which I expect to have in the next day or two indicating the organisations to be invited. I will communicate that information to Deputy De Rossa if he so wishes.
The Minister will be aware that the range of adult education that takes place in the State as a whole far exceeds the range of adult education supported by the Department of Education and Science. My recollection is that the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs may have a bigger budget in that regard than the Department of Education and Science. It certainly did in the past. Is it proposed to invite community development organisations which clearly have a role in adult education, at an informal level at least, to these consultation seminars?
I am very well acquainted with the range of people involved in the adult education sphere. It is my intention to invite all the main actors, whatever area they are attached to, be it the community or the second level education system or otherwise. I envisage that the consultation process will take about six months. After that we will prepare a White Paper. The preparation process will not take very long — six to eight weeks at most — because the groundwork has already been done. The White Paper will be an amended version of the Green Paper, depending on what we hear and what we agree during the consultation process.
The national qualifications framework was flagged as an immediate priority. When will it be introduced? Will it require legislation? If so, when will this legislation be published? Has the Minister assessed the cost of establishing local adult education boards? When will these be established?
The national qualifications authority will require legislation. That legislation will, it is hoped, be introduced in the next session, based on the Teastas report. As to the cost of the local adult education boards, I have not assessed that for the simple reason that no final decision has yet been made on how it will be delivered locally. That is put forward as a Government proposal but it is subject to consultation. We will be listening to what people say about the structure. The fact that we are engaged in a consultation process and moving on to produce a White Paper does not mean we intend to stand still. We are proposing many things, for example, a comprehensive literacy strategy. The structures, however, will have to await the outcome of the detailed consultation process.
