Education boards to include 12 councillors

The number of councillors on new boards set to replace vocational education committees has been increased from 10 to 12 after changes to the proposed law were passed by the Dáil.

The Education and Training Boards Bill initially planned that each of the 16 new bodies, formed from amalgamations among most of the 33 city and county VECs, would have 18 members.

But under amendments approved by TDs on Thursday, when the ETB Bill was passed for consideration next week by the Seanad, that number will rise to 21. Two of the additional members on each board will be members of the local authority whose area it serves.