Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2017
378. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the latest CSO statistics in respect of the need for an additional further education and training facilities in Dublin west and east Meath in addition to the new further education campus at Dunboyne to provide QQI courses at levels 1 to 7, for apprenticeships and a range of skills deficit areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38060/17]
View answerThrough the annual service planning process that takes place each year between SOLAS and each Education and Training Board (ETB), ETBs are primarily responsible for the planning of provision to meet the identified needs of learners, enterprise and communities within their regions.
Since 2014, SOLAS and the ETBs work together to produce annual service plans that are informed by national policies and strategies and are grounded in an analysis of local skills demand and labour supply. In the context of this process, funding of the relevant resources is primarily a matter for Dublin Dún Laoghaire and Louth Meath ETB through their annual service planning engagement with SOLAS.
My Department's capital budget is currently fully committed. The Department and SOLAS will be reviewing capital requirements in the further education and training sector in the context of the Government's Mid Term Review of the Capital Plan.
