Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)

The Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology is an extraordinary establishment in many ways. I am familiar with the Minister of State's institute of technology in Galway, which is a fine establishment and, like the Dún Laoghaire one, a fine building has been provided for it. The Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology has 1,500 students. It has provided cutting-edge research in digital performance, not just concerning the arts but also business and new technology. It has provided a very good service with added value not just for our local area but for the country generally.

I met the institute's administrators during the week and they said that the autonomy provided for in this legislation will allow the establishment to grow and become more audacious. We need to cultivate such boldness in the institutes of technology and freeing them from direct ministerial control will facilitate that process.

The provisions of the Bill will lighten the load of external regulation, allowing the institutes to deliver what the OECD report identified as their pivotal role in addressing the knowledge economy. The provisions will also enable the institutes to respond quickly and efficiently to national and regional needs. For all these reasons, the Bill should be supported.

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