The new regional VEC headquarters will be based in Castlebar serving Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim under a restructuring of VECs nationwide.
Mayo is the largest county of the three and there will be sub-offices in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon.
The news is being welcomed locally following months of speculation and fears that the Castlebar office would be lost to the county and staff forced to relocate.
Minister of State for Tourism Michael Ring, who held discussions with the Taoiseach and the Minster for Education Ruairí Quinn, has welcomed the news.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny also welcomed the announcement and explained it was as a result of the number of VECs nationally being reduced from 33 to 16.
Taoiseach Kenny said: “It is important to recognise the new and dynamic future for the education sector in the three counties of Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim. The change should enhance the role of the VEC in delivering both further education and training; and this is something that is increasingly important in recent times.”
Castlebar Town Councillor Ger Deere has welcomed the fact that not alone will Castlebar not lose its existing VEC office, but will actually host an enlarged regional office – and he says this “silences” another councillor who claimed Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny didn’t know what was happening in his home town.
“It is great news for Castlebar and Mayo, as it means that current VEC staff members in Castlebar will not have to re-locate to another location,” said Cllr Deere.
However, he rounded on Fianna Fáil councillor Blackie Gavin who last week accused Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny of not knowing “what’s going on in his own town and county”.
Cllr Deere said: “Cllr Gavin knows only too well that Taoiseach Enda Kenny has never lost touch with Castlebar or Mayo, nor would he ever. The Taoiseach is very much in tune with what’s happening on the ground in Co Mayo.”
He added: “For a Taoiseach with such huge national and international responsibilities, Mr Kenny manages to find a great deal of time to attend events in Co Mayo. He works 17-hour days, commencing with clinics at seven o’clock in the morning, and is always available to help out with projects in Co Mayo.
“Cllr Gavin argued that Mr Kenny spends too much time ‘performing official openings and raising green flags instead of looking after the interests of his constituency’. It is an incredible criticism – it is through attending events and meeting people right around this constituency that Mr Kenny stays in touch with what’s taking place on the ground.”
Cllr Deere was adamant that “an Taoiseach is a superb public representative for this county, and, if anything, the quality of that representation has increased since he became the leader of this country. It was a cheap shot by Cllr Gavin, and, deep down, I’m pretty sure he knows that himself”.
