Tony Donohoe of IBEC said that while the Department of Education would become an extremely large department as a result, the new department would break down the “artificial distinction” between education and skills.

Patricia Callan of the Small Firms Association said the realignment would serve to lessen the gap between academia and business.

Further tangible changes for education will follow from the realignment of five government departments in the Cabinet reshuffle:

Third Level research
Responsibility for third-level research funding will be transferred from the Department of Education to the new Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.

According to the Taoiseach, this decision will “help to bring together a streamlined and focused programme of funding of research and development, aligned with the objectives of enterprise policy”.

The decision was seen by IBEC as positive. However, the organisation called for no diminution in the level of investment pledged by the Government in its Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation.

FÁS
The Government’s job-creation agency, FÁS, will now come under the remit of three departments – Enterprise, Trade and Innovation; Education and Skills; and Social Protection.

Newly appointed Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe said that FÁS would remain within the remit of his department, while the training activities of the agency would be transferred to the Department of Education and Skills, and the employment and community services provided by the agency would move to the Department of Social Protection.

The decision to transfer employment and community services to the Department of Social Protection was welcomed by the business sector. IBEC said that closer integration of the social welfare system and work placement schemes makes policy sense, and is already in practice in countries such as the Netherlands.

The Small Firms Association (SMA) also welcomed the move, and called for an overhaul of the welfare system to examine whether the current system incentivises people to work.

However, the Taoiseach's decision to divide responsibility for FÁS between three separate departments has drawn some criticism from the business sector.

Mark Fielding, chief executive of Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (ISME), said the involvement of three ministers will increase bureaucracy and cause a delay in key decisions.

“The opportunity to pass the buck will become very evident when difficult decisions need to be taken or when problems arise,” Fielding said. (Source: Irish Times)