Vol. 571 No. 3
140 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science when his Department's local office planned for Tallaght will be in operation; the proposed location of the office; the projected level of staffing; if people from the locality will have an opportunity to seek employment there; and the services to the public which will operate through the office. [21686/03]
The Office of Public Works is currently in the process of procuring accommodation for the proposed regional office for my Department in Tallaght. Until the accommodation arrangements have been finalised, it is not possible to say when the office will be in operation. The office will have five staff: an assistant principal officer, a senior inspector, a higher executive officer, an executive officer and a clerical officer. These staff will be recruited internally from my Department. In overall terms, it is intended that the regional offices will provide a single point of contact for information and advice on the education services available in each region; act as a first point of contact for interests at regional level wishing to address educational disadvantage; ensure the complementarity of initiatives to tackle disadvantage; represent the Department at regional level on city and county development boards and other similar bodies; provide input in relation to existing policies and provision and the planning of future needs on an area basis; ensure greater dialogue between educational institutions at regional level and develop area-based approaches to monitoring of provision; build on the community fora developed by the county development boards; engage in appropriate dialogue with a wide range of local interests on matters pertaining to educational disadvantage; and manage and evaluate the visiting teacher services.
The regional offices will work in close co-operation with the central offices of my Department, the National Educational Psychological Service, the National Educational Welfare Board and the Special Education Council.
