Vol. 473 No. 5
118 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Education if she will sanction a project (details supplied) in County Galway; the date on which this project will be sanctioned; the amount of money being allocated for this project; the date on which the project will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1855/97]
The project in question refers to an expansion of the Youthreach programme for unqualified early school leavers. Requests for additional places from vocational education committee's are, at present, under consideration in the context of the expansion of the programme from 2,000 to 2,450 places. I expect that a decision will be made on this matter very shortly.
The funding provided for such programmes is an allocation in a full year of 4,200 tuition hours and £37,000 non-pay for each group of 25 places approved, with pro-rata adjustments for shorter periods. Youthreach is provided in out of school premises, which are usually rented, and operates for 48 weeks per year.
