Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 23 November 2023

Public Accounts Committee

Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 45 - Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Financial Statements 2022: National Training Fund
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 19: National Training Fund

9:30 am

Dr. Colm O'Reardon:

Enrolments have been fluctuating somewhat and were fluctuating particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. To be fair to the university, we might want to hold off before arriving at a conclusion about its enrolments. It has clearly had difficulty in tracking enrolment numbers.

The broader point is absolutely correct. There is big investment there and on the Department's side, there is no lack of commitment to the development of the sector. I endorse what the Deputy has said about the investment in the campus. We need to work with the university to understand what is going on.