Liz O'Donnell
Ceist:68 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Education the time-scale she envisages will be necessary for the implementation of the regional education boards as and from the enactment of the Education Bill, 1997. [1764/97]
Written Answers. - Regional Education Boards.
The White Paper on Education, Charting our Education Future, states that the establishment of education boards and the transfer of functions to the boards will take place on a phased basis, within a costed plan, prepared by each board, and approved by the Minister, following the enactment of the necessary legislation. This strategy is reflected in the Education Bill, 1997, which was published earlier this month.
The gradual transfer of functions to the boards will facilitate careful appraisal of the incremental costs, in the context of the education estimates for the year in question, within the overall context of the budgetary parameters approved by Government.
In addition, the Bill provides for the composition of education boards to include a core board, comprising nominess of patrons, parent nominees, teacher nominees, local elected representatives and ministerial nominees. This core board will then put forward additional agreed nominees for appointment by the Minister to the education board. These nominees, from the wider community, will represent minorities and disadvantaged groups, as well as people with special expertise. Following the enactment of the legislation, an appropriate period of time will be required to make arrangements for the selection and appointment of nominees in each of the categories, before the boards can become operational.
To ensure the smooth transfer of functions to the education boards, and to prepare for the new role of the Department, management consultants have been contracted to review the present organisational structure of the Department and make recommendations regarding the future structure of the Department and the education boards. At this stage, any timetable for the setting up of the boards would be highly speculative and therefore not very useful. It is, however, my intention that the boards will be established with the minimum of delay.