Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2008
675 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will intercede with the Veterinary Council of Ireland and Athlone Institute of Technology in relation to the accreditation of the veterinary nursing course in view of the fact that many students have recently qualified from that course but are unable to register as veterinary nurses or gain employment as the course is not accredited. [27218/08]
View answerThe Institutes of Technology are statutory bodies established under the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under the terms of these Acts, the governance and day-to-day activities of the Institutes, including the accreditation of courses, are matters for which the Management of the Institutes are responsible. It would, therefore, not be appropriate for me to intervene in this matter.
I understand from the Institute, however, that this matter is under active consideration by both AIT and the Veterinary Council of Ireland. The Council is currently completing a validation process and the Institute looks forward to a successful outcome in the near future.
