Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2004
415 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the proposal to cut four of the courses in the GMIT, Castlebar; the negative effect it will have on education in the country; and if the courses have been cut for financial reasons. [29672/04]
View answerThe institutes of technology are statutory bodies established under the Regional Technical Colleges Acts 1992 to 1999 and the Dublin Institute of Technology Acts 1992 and 1994. Under the terms of the Acts, the governance and day-to-day activities of the institutes, including the number of approved courses that institutes wish to deliver in particular locations, are matters for which the governing bodies and the management staff of the institutes are responsible.
While proposals for new courses and proposed alterations to previously approved courses are subject to ministerial approval in the context of the annual programmes and budgets process, any decisions to discontinue delivery of previously approved courses are operational matters for the institutes in the context of their regular internal reviews of course provision. An institute that decides to reduce course provision significantly in a particular campus normally informs my Department of such a decision in advance of any such reduction. The Department of Education and Science is not aware of any proposal by Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology to reduce the number of courses provided in its Castlebar campus.
