Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021
651. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress that has been made to advance the technological university for the south east; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9510/21]
View answer653. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which the location of the headquarters for the new technological university of the south east will be decided; the criteria that will be used in making a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9512/21]
View answer668. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way the board of a technological university for the south east will be selected; the apportionment of appointments; the method for same; the representativeness of the board as it relates to constituent institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9791/21]
View answer669. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way the structure of a technological university and locations for campuses will be determined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9792/21]
View answer670. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the process for selecting the courses on offer and the way in which such courses will be funded for a new technological university in order to have an expanded range of courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9793/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 651, 653 and 668 to 670, inclusive, together.
I anticipate receiving an application from the TUSEI consortium, comprising WIT and IT Carlow, by 28 April 2021. A project plan has been in place by the consortium since October 2020 and my Department is being kept updated on its progress. To date €8.8 million has been provided in co-funding of the consortium’s proposals, the most recent tranche of €5.1 million was allocated under the Transformation Fund in October 2020.
Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs and course provision. My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions. The HEA funding model includes weightings for the relative costs of providing education in different disciplines and tuition fee payments for free fees eligible students. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding is a matter for the individual institution.
The legal requirements for the appointment of the first governing body of a technological university is prescribed under Section 55 of the Technological Universities Act 2018. An appointments process is not set in train until a TU has been designated following the prescribed legislative assessment and decision-making processes under the Act.
TU structures and campus related issues are matters in the first instance for a TU as an autonomous higher education institution. Further work is required to advance sectoral apposite career structures in accordance with the 2019 TURN report recommendations. In this context my Department is engaged with the HEA regarding the undertaking of an independent expert bench marking exercise relating to issues including organisation design and academic career structures. This would form part of a progressive, inclusive process with appropriate national inputs.
There is no such term in TU legislation as ‘headquarters’ and upon its establishment it is a matter for a TU, as embodied by the governing body which constitutes staff and student representatives and external members drawn from wider stakeholder groups, as to the functionality of any particular campus within an integrated multi-campus structure.
In my view the focus should continue to be on the benefits of establishing a TU for the entire South East and in supporting and assisting the finalisation and submission of an application for TU designation by the TUSEI consortium.
