John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

All of the indications and statistics, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and report after report have stated Waterford IT needs to stand alone as a university. Its catchment area is as big as Galway or Cork. This has not been stated explicitly by any Minister. They have not come to Waterford. There are all types of indications. The Minister has established another commission and we do not know what will happen. Will it state Waterford IT should stand alone or merge? A merger will not be acceptable to the people of Waterford. They believe that after this length of time and the quality of Waterford IT that it should have stand-alone status. The Minister needs to confirm whether this is correct. If she had no intention of taking on board the concerns of the academic body in Waterford IT why did she send Michael Kelly to conduct a process in the first place? My suspicion, having spoken to some of the lecturers, is the Government was willing to listen but we do not know what has happened since.

Recently, the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts was told that negotiations for the Waterford IT merger were at a delicate stage and that it would not be helpful to bring all of the reasons the process broke down into open public discussion and have a broad-ranging debate on it. As someone who was elected to best represent the interests of the people of Waterford I cannot accept this. If almost €500,000 of taxpayer's money has been spent on this process, in the interests of transparency those taxpayers have every right to know where it all went wrong. It is incumbent on the Minister to explain precisely what is going on with the merger.

This does not only apply to Waterford IT. This week, TUI branch members at Cork Institute of Technology, CIT, stated they are unconvinced of the benefits for all stakeholders of a merger between Cork IT and Institute of Technology, Tralee. Branch committees of Cork IT and IT Tralee have unanimously declared no confidence in the process. They are now demanding the Department of Education and Skills and the Minister listen to their concerns or, I am told, they will ballot for non-co-operation including industrial action.

It would appear the entire merger plan is falling apart at the seams even before it has begun, based on the information and what has been said at the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts. I have further serious concerns about the costing of these new technological universities. The Higher Education Authority, HEA, has admitted to the Committee of Public Accounts that the creation of technological universities will have to be done in an innovative shoestring way, such is the lack of State funding being made available. This is an extraordinary statement coming from the HEA, that if it is done at all it will be half done. If something is held together using a shoestring I do not fancy its chances of it staying together. This says it all about the importance the Government places on the third level sector.

Lecturing staff in Waterford IT told me the merger process will have to be achieved through further efficiency or cuts in services, neither of which can be sustained in the sector in light of the growing number of students entering the education system and the drop in resources. There is no doubt that rationalisation will certainly result in reduced course provision in both institutes. A panel of international experts which assessed the proposals has expressed concern at the absence of further traditional supports for the institutes. Given the current state of the public finances I do not envisage any additional funds. I am interested to hear the Minister's views on this.

Under the provisions of the technological universities Bill there arises the possibility that the merged entity may be refused technological university designation by the HEA and remain a merged entity indefinitely without gaining any of the envisaged benefits of technological university status. To my mind, and to the minds of many lecturers and almost all of the people in Waterford, the merger process to create a new so-called university is an exercise in political posturing. It is messing with the lives of thousands of young people in the regions. People in Waterford will not be placated with a pat on the back and assurances that the Government has their best interests at heart.

Where would one get anything like this, whereby so much money has been spent and so many reports have been written? This would not happen in any other country. In the manifestoes of various Governments, including Fianna Fáil Governments but not this Government, promises were made that Waterford IT would gain university status-----

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