Section 20 of the National Council for Education Awards Act, 1979 provides the Minister for Education and Science may, with the concurrence of the Minister for Finance, and after consultation with the council designate any college, school or other educational institution other than a university, as being an institution to which the Act applies. Following the establishment of TEASTAS on an interim basis in September, 1995, the NCEA designation and accreditation process for private colleges was put in abeyance pending receipt of proposals from TEASTAS in regard to this issue in the context of an overall national qualifications framework.
The Irish College for the Humanities applied to my Department to be designated under section 20 of the NCEA Act, 1979, and was advised that no applications were being processed pending receipt of the TEASTAS proposals.