Ms Siobhán Healy:

The Deputy is referring to professional bodies, and accounting bodies in particular. There were graduates from these programmes who were looking to apply but, as the Deputy correctly outlined, there is an issue because they were not aligned with the NFQ. We had engagement, therefore, with QQI and so on to try to figure out what the situation was. Our understanding is that when QQI was being established and during the transfer from HETAC, which previously awarded levels, there was a legislative issue in that QQI did not have the basis to accredit these programmes, but my understanding is that that has been resolved, so that issue will move on.