I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. My party's spokesperson, Deputy Keogh, has outlined our position on the substance of the Bill. I as the Minister for Education to give serious consideration to a particular matter, that is, conferring university status on the Dublin Institute of Technology.
One would expect the Minister to engage in a comprehensive consultation process before bringing forward major legislation but that did not happen in this case. Few Bills brought forward in recent years have caused as much controversy and met with such a hostile response as this one. This lack of consultation explains why it makes no reference to the Dublin Institute of Technology which is one of our most important and long-established third level educational institutions and which, since January 1993, has been an independent entity with its own governing body. Its constituent colleges include some of the best names in the field of technological education, including Bolton Street and Kevin Street.
The Dublin Institute of Technology has 10,000 full-time students with a further 12,000 engaged in part-time studies. This makes it the largest third level educational in the State. Out of a total of 22,000 students, 4,500 are pursuing degree and postgraduate courses. This puts it on a par with St. Patrick's College, Maynooth in terms of degree student numbers.
Under legislation introduced in 1992, the Dublin Institute of Technology was given the right to make its own awards at certificate and diploma level. It does not award its own degrees although it has the legal power to do so but this requires an order to be made by the Minister.
An international review group set up by the Minister was asked to report on the matter earlier this year. It reported that the Dublin Institute of Technology "demonstrated a level of maturity which justifies a recommendation that it be granted authority to award its own degrees". It recommended that full degree awarding powers be extended with effect from the 1998-9 academic year. The National Education Convention had previously recommended in its report that responsibility for the institute be transferred from the Department of Education to the Higher Education Authority. The review group further recommended that the Universities Bill be amended to take account of its findings; in other words, it was signalling that the Minister should give consideration to granting the institute university status.
The Bill does not contain any good news for the Dublin Institute of Technology. Effectively, its interests have been ignored or overlooked. The Minister could have taken the opportunity to take a radical initiative, that is, to create a new university but she decided not to do so. My party believes this matter should be considered in more depth on Committee Stage.
On the face of it, there is a clear case for awarding the Dublin Institute of Technology university status. It is strongly committed to research and development and operates a number of specialised units and campus companies. It has good external links with both the private and public sector but its capacity to develop as a technological institute is severely limited because it does not enjoy university status. For instance, it cannot have visiting professorships or professorships associated with industry. This is a major drawback for an institution which, perhaps, has the closest relations of any educational body with industry.
Awarding the Dublin Institute of Technology university status would rid it of the perception from which it suffers both at home and abroad. Because of its name and peculiar status and a certain amount of conservative academic snobbery, it is perceived as being something less than a true university. Yet, its graduates collect the same parchments as those who attend our fully fledged universities. This is unfair on the students of the institute and their parents who make sacrifices to send them there.
It is time the Government gave consideration to putting the Dublin Institute of Technology on an equal footing with the universities. I can only assume the Minister does not want to create another university because it would lessen the centralised control which both she and her Department exert over the third level sector. The thrust of the Bill when put forward originally was bureaucratic and centralising. Institutions which had enjoyed autonomy, in some cases for centuries, were to be subjected to ministerial interference and central Government control to an unprecedented degree. Much of this has blown up in the Minister's face. Even the Higher Education Authority has come out against her proposals.
The Dublin Institute of Technology must be encouraged to develop as a centre of excellence in the field of technological education at third level. The best encouragement it could receive from the Government is elevation to university status. This issue should be considered on Committee Stage.