Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Letterkenny (Donegal) Information Technology Centre.

Dr. McDaid

I am glad of the opportunity to raise this matter. At a time when science and technology are supposed to be high on the national agenda I was appalled to hear that a centre that has won international awards in this field is to close. The Regional Telecommunications and Information Technology Centre in Letterkenny was set up in 1988 under the aegis of the County Donegal vocational education committee. On 29 December 1995, Donegal Vocational Education Committee decided to terminate its association with the centre forthwith and the staff were given one month's notice.

This is an internationally recognised centre of excellence with a reputation for developing multi-media applications, one of which, Heritage: A Visitor's Guide to Ireland, was on display at EXPO 92. It won international awards for these applications and represented the EU Commission on a number of occasions at major exhibitions. One of its multi-media applications was on display at the Washington International Conference.

The centre also engages in consultancy, software development and training for companies in the north-west region. It is the catalyst in the north-west for promoting information technology and telecommunications and was a key player in setting up three cross-Border institutions, namely Ernact EEIG, ECOM, EEIG and Northwest Consortium. The centre has not received any financial support or counterpart funding from the Exchequer since it was set up. Donegal Vocational Education Committee gave it free accommodation.

The centre has been very successful in the call for proposals under the Fourth Framework EU Research and Development Programme. It won 14 contracts to the value of £950,000 over the next three years. It is partly matching the EU Commission in these projects out of its own resources but this is not adequate. In order to fulfil the contracts it has acquired the centre would require approximately £100,000 per year in matching funds. That would underpin the 15 jobs available. The centres in Limerick and Cork have been funded annually by the Exchequer. I make an urgent plea to the Minister to do everything possible to ensure this extremely valuable facility is not lost to Donegal and to the country.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Allen)

I thank Deputy McDaid for raising the matter of the information technology centre in Letterkenny. The concept of the Regional Telecommunications and Information Technology Centre, or the IT Centre as it is known, was developed within the Letterkenny regional technical college's department of science and technical services between 1986 and 1988. In 1988 County Donegal Vocational Education Committee established the centre as a stand-alone self-funding project, directly reporting to the board of management of Letterkenny regional technical college. The centre subsequently operated under the aegis of a steering committee comprised of representatives of County Donegal Vocational Education Committee, Telecom Éireann, Forbairt, Letterkenny governing body, IDA, Department of Education as well as the chief executive officer of County Donegal Vocational Education Committee and the director of Letterkenny regional technical college. The steering committee is a subcommittee of County Donegal Vocational Education Committee.

The function of the centre was to promote information technology and advanced telecommunications services within the private and public sectors of the region. Its main sources of revenue are generated from public and private sector contracts, research and developments contracts and its catalytic role in the economic development of the area through research, development and consultancy. Many of the projects have been EU aided.

Staffing at the centre comprises the director, who is on secondment from his post as head of science and technical services in Letterkenny regional technical college and 14 staff members who are employed by County Donegal Vocational Education Committee on a contract basis.

There was a significant deficit projected in the accounts of the centre at the end of December 1995. In this context County Donegal Vocational Education Committee convened a special meeting of the committee on 29 December 1995 at which all aspects of the centre's operations were reviewed, in particular the financial viability of the programmes proposed for the years 1996 to 1998. It was the committee's view that the centre was not viable in the absence of counterpart funding, notwithstanding such EU approval as is currently available to it. The Vocational Education Committee, therefore, decided to discontinue the operation of the centre.

The employment contracts of the centre's staff expired on 31 December 1995. The vocational education committee has notified the staff members that their contracts will not be renewed but they will be retained on continuing salary until 31 January 1996.

On the basis of a submission from the vocational education committee and an analysis of their projections and, having regard to the potential financial penalties which might be incurred by the noncompletion of projects, my Department has approved the continuation and completion of two projects, LINGUA and SYNDAMMA, by March 1996 and mid-July 1996, respectively, and the continued secondment of the director from the regional technical college until 31 January 1996. There is no commitment to funding from my Department for this center beyond the completion dates of these projects. It is understood that County Donegal Vocational Education Committee is considering a number of options in relation to the future of the IT Centre.