Many education and training providers currently incur fees in the course of their interactions with IUQB, HETAC, FETAC and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI). For example, HETAC and FETAC both charge award fees and HETAC charges providers a fee for programme validation and for agreement of quality assurance procedures. Universities, together with the Higher Education Authority, currently fund the IUQB, and so contribute to the cost of their external quality assurance. NQAI, through ACELS, charges an annual fee for recognition/renewal of recognition for English Language Schools and fees for inspections.
The Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill enables fees be charged in relation to the following functions of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI):
Submission and review of quality assurance procedures;
Application for, and review of, validation by QQAAI of a programme;
The making of an award;
Request for, and review of, delegation of authority;
Submission and review of procedures for access, transfer and progression of learners;
Authorisation to use the International Education Mark;
Review of compliance with the Code of Practice on international education, and use of the International Education Mark;
Lodging an appeal.
The services for which fees will be charged and the level of those fees have not yet been determined. The payment of fees to qualifications and quality assurance bodies is part of broader overall compliance and service costs to providers. There will be savings for providers who currently deal with more than one of the existing bodies and incur costs in complying with currently divergent policies and procedures.
The establishment of QQAAI will result in savings to the Exchequer. It should be noted that NQAI, HETAC and FETAC have already delivered very significant savings since the announcement of the amalgamation in October 2008 through implementation of the moratorium and through expenditure reduction across their range of activities. The bodies' exchequer allocation for current expenditure in 2011 (€8.823m) is approximately 30% lower than outturn in 2008. Further savings to the Exchequer of €1 million per annum will be achieved over time through further staff reductions in accordance with the Employment Control Framework, through rationalised corporate structures and supports and through integration of services.
