Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The reason I am asking Professor Mey this question is because right now, the educational landscape within the State is such that there are employees of universities or technological universities on precarious contracts. To my knowledge, there are not enough people in proper career progression. Many lecturers are still below the bar and are going from contract to contract. I speak for staff within the University of Limerick. It seems to me that if there is a withdrawal or holding back of funding, it stymies the ability of the university to fulfill its mission and obligations to its own staff but also its wider mission to the mid-west and Munster region. I say this as a former Minister of State with responsibility for research and innovation. I am very much aware of the work of EPI-STEM, Lero and other such entities and the translational effect of the research provided by the University of Limerick. I worry that if the HEA is withholding funding, it will have a downstream effect on the university's ability to allow staff to progress from below the bar to above the bar positions or to allow the university to ensure that people progress and that there is a career path for employees within the university. Is it the case that the holding back of this funding is affecting staff's ability to progress?