Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Moving on then to what are reasonably modest but significant sums nonetheless in respect of what has been spent on external consultancy costs and adviser fees, the university spent nearly €600,000 on project management services, total legal expenditure was €926,000, estate planning was €250,000, brand refresh and implementation was €87,000, and public relations was €33,000. This is all money that has been spent on external services. Will the president tell me why the university spending €595,000 on project management services and what are these services? That is my first question for her.

Also, in respect of the brand refresh and implementation, €87,000 would pay the fees for one lecturer above the bar, if I can put it that way. My focus here is on staff and students, on what they are receiving and on what I would call their rights and entitlements. It seems to me the amount of money, which is approximately €3.1 million and is a significant amount, is all money that has been in spent on external services that could reasonably have been expected to be ploughed into investing in staff, educational output, and research output.