Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 October 2005
384 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the amount expended on the management information system for the institutes of technology; the amount itemised on an annual basis for each year since the project was commenced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28168/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total expenditure on the management information system project for the 14 institutes of technology and the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute was €44.8 million. This expenditure itemised by annual breakdown is as follows:
|
Year |
Expenditure (€ million) |
|
1995 |
0.1 |
|
1996 |
0.9 |
|
1997 |
0.2 |
|
1998 |
2.4 |
|
1999 |
3.1 |
|
2000 |
5.6 |
|
2001 |
4.5 |
|
2002 |
11.2 |
|
2003 |
8.8 |
|
2004 |
8.0 |
|
Total |
44.8 |
The project involved some 59 installations of hardware and software across 15 institutions. The installation has been completed in all colleges. The MIS system comprises four integrated elements, namely, student registration; a financial element; a payroll-human resource element; and a library element. The system tracks all student records including registration, courses, link modules and examination performance. The financial system provides for individual budget responsibility within the institutes and it produces annual accounts. The payroll-human resource system links with the student system to facilitate time-tabling. The library system tracks all movements of materials and also facilitates on-line access to journals and articles by students and staff.
I understand that the MIS has proved to be a critical and decisive element in the modernisation and transformation of the management and operation of the institutes of technology.
385 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of staff seconded in each institute of technology to oversee the implementation of the management information system for the institutes of technology; if this itemised information will be provided by the institute of technology, staff grade and salary; the number of seconded staff for whom replacement staff have been recruited; the costs involved in the replacement of staff at each institute of technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28169/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraA total of eight staff were seconded from institutes of technology for varying periods to work on central implementation teams for each of the four MIS applications. The eight staff seconded from institutes comprised, one registrar from Galway-Mayo IT, two at assistant principal officer level or equivalent grading from Sligo IT and IT Tallaght , two at grade 7 level from Waterford IT and IT Blanchardstown, two technicians from Sligo IT and Waterford IT and one librarian from Dundalk IT. They were replaced in the institutes for the duration of their secondments by means of a backfilling arrangement whereby other members of institute staff undertook their duties on a temporary basis.
My Department has sought information from the individual institutes on the specific costs relating to each secondment and I will forward these to the Deputy as quickly as possible. In addition to the central implementation teams, each institute also redeployed members of technical and administrative staff internally to undertake necessary preparatory work locally in connection with implementation of the MIS applications as they were rolled out. I understand that, while the number of staff on these local implementations teams varied from institute to institute, there were on average five persons per institute engaged on local implementation teams at any given time. The members of local implementation teams changed as the different MIS applications were rolled out. Local implementation teams also gave rise to backfilling arrangements and the cost of this was borne by each institute from its own resources.
