Community Training Centres
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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James Lawless (FF), Kildare North

I thank Deputy Cummins. I share her high regard for the CTC sector and also for the very similar work Youthreach organisations perform. I have had the privilege of visiting both in my role on a number of different occasions. I attended the Irish Association of Community Training Organisations, IACTO, annual conference. I think it was in Athlone. It was certainly in the midlands. I attended that event, spoke with the IACTO executive and addressed the membership. It was a really positive event which I was pleased to be able to engage with. I have a great interest in that area.
In terms of the pay negotiations, I do not want to trespass on the functions of the Department of public expenditure, which is leading the negotiations in that regard. However, I am aware of some advances and some progress made. I do not want to go into great detail on the record in the Dáil for fear of misquoting or misattributing a figure somewhere because it would be unhelpful to the process were I to do that.
I will share my view that CTCs and Youthreach perform similar functions and it would be desirable to strengthen both by ní neart go cur le chéile - being stronger together. There is a sort of consolidation exercise in a very positive way that could be performed there in terms of bringing them together. I have engaged with some CTCs on that initiative already. It is something I have called out in my tertiary strategy, which I brought to Cabinet on Tuesday. There are several actions in that strategy, close to 100. One of them is to look at a consolidated strategy that would allow CTCs to enjoy effectively the same rights and entitlements as the Youthreach centres currently enjoy, in a way that promotes them as a common entity or certainly as a common mode of educational delivery. There is such a similarity across the two services that it would make sense to consolidate in a way that gives both a greater platform.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23