Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:374 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science his response to the Donegal task force report which was presented in June 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18923/99]
Written Answers - Task Force Report.
Educational institutions will play their full part in progressing the human resource aspects of the task force report.
The report makes a number of recommendations in relation to the role of education providers and, in particular, Letterkenny Institute of Technology. The report recommends the expansion of the number of places at Letterkenny Institute of Technology. The number of students at the institute has increased from 1,250 in 1994-95 to over 1,800 in the current academic year. A number of new diploma and degree programmes have also been introduced over that period.
I understand that Letterkenny Institute of Technology is developing proposals on the basis of recommendations in the report and my Department will consider these proposals when they are received.
At the further education level, a range of pro grammes are already in place in business, international teleservices, information technology, community care, child care and sport and recreation, allied with programmes for early school leavers, adults with literacy difficulties and the VTOS programme for the unemployed.
Child care provision for VTOS, Youthreach and Traveller participants has been provided in Buncrana and Letterkenny, and the adult literacy provision has been increased. County Donegal Vocational Education Committee is examining further measures in this context. It is intended that initiatives in the field of second chance education will be further expanded in the light of developments under the National Development Plan.
Capital developments costing £13.5 million have been funded in Letterkenny Institute of Technology since 1990 and further capital funding of £4 million has been made available for the next phase of the institute's campus development.