I wish to advise the Deputy that, in previous years, under the arrangements in place for the Social Partnership process, officials in my Department met on a regular basis with the Community and Voluntary Pillar to discuss educational issues raised by that sector. A series of bilateral meetings took place between Officials in my Department and the Community and Voluntary (C&V) Pillar over a number of years. The last such meeting took place in November 2015.
In recent years engagement with members of the C&V Pillar has taken place either bilaterally or largely through the structures established to implement Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020.
In light of the Deputy's question, I have requested officials of my Department to make contact with the current representative of the C&V Pillar to establish whether there are any particular issues for discussion that are not already dealt with under existing structures.