Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
613. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a course in veterinary nursing will be delivered in the mid-west, specifically in Limerick Institute of Technology in the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 academic years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24401/21]
View answerMy Department is actively engaging with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) about the demand for higher education places in 2021 and will take action as necessary to ensure the availability of a full range of further and higher education options for applicants in 2021 and beyond.
However the HEIs are autonomous bodies under the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation the HEIs are administratively and academically independent and ultimately the decision on the courses provided rests with the individual institutions. It is not within my remit to direct a HEI as to the courses they offer.
