Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Mar 1998

Vol. 489 No. 1

Written Answers. - Institutes of Technology.

Brendan Howlin

Question:

13 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the vast difference between staffing levels at Waterford Insistute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology at all grades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7532/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

The allocation of staff to an institute of technology is based on the programmes and budget submitted, on an annual basis, as required under the terms of the Regional Technical Colleges Act, 1992. Officials of my Department meet the management of the institute, each year, on an individual basis to discuss their programmes and requirements for the coming academic year.

The staffing levels for any of the institutes of technology are determined taking into account the scale of the institute's operation, its complexity, the range of its courses and facilities and the resources available for the year. Differences in staffing arising between Cork Institute of Technology and Waterford Institute of Technology can be explained by reference to these factors.

In this regard, Cork Institute of Technology incorporates the Crawford College of Art and Design and the Cork School of Music which deliver programmes which are not parallelled in scale by Waterford Institute of Technology. In addition, enrolment in part-time programmes, in apprenticeship and CERT courses are significantly greater in Cork Institute of Technology. Moreover, Cork Institute of Technology has twice the number of students on full-time engineering courses when compared with Waterford. These courses generally require a greater staff allocation than courses in business and humanities where Waterford Institute of Technology has a higher ratio of students.

Under the Regional Technical Colleges Act, 1992 the institutes operate as autonomous bodies with an expanded role. My Department has put in place a new staffing structure for all the institutes and continues to develop this within the limits of available resources.