I propose to take Questions Nos. 1282 and 1283 together.
It is a matter for applicant institutes of technology, as independent autonomous HEIs, that are seeking TU designation under the 2018 Act to decide the particular administrative processes and governance structures that most appropriately support their efforts to do so.
The Department and the HEA have provided guidance to TU development consortia in relation to the value of strong, robust and effective governance structures to enable a single cohesive vision and strategy, and in so doing have highlighted the potential benefits of utilising persons with specialist expertise and knowledge of higher education, mandated by both applicant institutes’ governing bodies to provide executive leadership for a joint programme of work. This could potentially include persons, whether internal to the institutes or sourced externally, being employed in a project or programme office, or as programme or project directors, managers, leads, facilitators etc. Decisions in this regard remain matters for the governing bodies of the applicant institutes involved.
In the case of the TU4Dublin consortium, whose 2018 application resulted in the establishment of TU Dublin on 1 January 2019, and the CUA consortia that is currently preparing an application seeking TU designation, the Department understands that personnel within the applicant Institutes respectively, acted, or are currently acting, in roles of this type.
In the case of the Cork IT and IT Tralee application in 2019 resulting in the establishment of MTU on 1 January 2021, the consortium utilised both internal specialists and external consultants over the course of the application process
The Athlone IT and Limerick IT consortium project which has resulted in an application being submitted to myself as Minister in November 2020 involved an independent facilitator with in-depth knowledge and experience of the TU application process.
The Department had no involvement in the agreement of contractual terms for the appointment made by the TUSEI consortium, nor in any case where applicant institutes have employed persons in similar type roles.
