Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this issue with my Department.

The Government has invested heavily in Further Education and Training (FET) in the last number of years, increasing FET provision from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024 (excluding capital allocation). The 2024 allocation includes €15 million for continued ESOL provision throughout the country, building on the ETBs’ agile and flexible response to the increased demand for ESOL to support displaced Ukrainians since 2022.

As the state agency responsible for the FET sector in Ireland, SOLAS allocates the bulk of this funding to the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETB) to deliver FET programmes and services at local level, based on agreed learner numbers and programmes. SOLAS has advised that the 2024 allocation for Kerry ETB is approx. €47 million (increased from approx. €45 million in 2023).

Kerry ETB has confirmed that its FET funding allocation for 2024 has not been cut and the allocation made provision for public sector pay increases. The funding provided for 2024 was based on planned beneficiaries of 13,740 and by the end of July, Kerry ETB had achieved 10,817 beneficiaries i.e., 78% of planned annual provision. This includes 3,092 beneficiaries participating in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) - 433 beneficiaries more than the total planned number for 2024 (i.e., 2,659 beneficiaries). Kerry ETB has also advised that it will continue to deliver its planned FET provision including ESOL for the remainder of 2024.