Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Let us look at that. In terms of how costs are cut to try to break even, and to reflect on the impact of the loss of these services provided by the college, as Ms Campbell said, between 2007 and 2012, HEA funding to Dundalk was cut by 34%. The students picked up the tab through increased contribution fees. That is an immediate impact. Then we see the strategy of not replacing identified retiring staff. I think the staff complement is 500. Will Ms Campbell indicate the number of staff shed in recent years? One of the key points identified by the expert working group on higher education was that there cannot be a continuing policy of cutting staff numbers to meet this funding deficit. If anything, it identified the need for the staff complement to increase by many thousands over the next five to six years. That is why I am interested in probing this area and determining where DkIT stands. Will Ms Campbell address, first, the reduction in staff complement over that period of time, and second, the plans to try to increase numbers while simultaneously needing to increase income?