Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman. I also thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity to raise this matter. I further thank the Minister for Education and Skills for taking the time to be here. In light of the current situation, plenty of people want to meet him on Kildare Street.

This issue I want to address has been in the doldrums for a number of years. My reasons for addressing it arise on foot of a number of newspaper articles published in recent months and as a result of concerns that have been brought to my attention by constituents. As a Cork Deputy, I have a vested interest in the biggest educational institution not only in Cork but in Munster. I refer, of course, to University College Cork. This matter was addressed recently in an article published in The Irish Timeson 11 October under the headline "Fear and loathing on campus: bullying at Irish universities".

There are significant levels of dissatisfaction among staff at University College Cork regarding gender issues and the promotion process relating to staff within the college. Despite being the very first university to appoint a female professor in Ireland and Great Britain - Professor Mary Ryan in 1909 - the college now has the second lowest number of female professors in the country. A report by Barry Roche in The Irish Timeson 11 July last gave an insight into unpublished research by management at UCC. The latter showed that 36% of the 375 respondents, comprising 265 females and 110 males, believed the culture and atmosphere were not female friendly and inclusive. Half felt the promotion process in UCC was not transparent and fair and one in four felt that academic promotions were not free of gender bias. One quarter felt they were not treated fairly on merit, without regard to characteristics such as gender, civil or family status or, most strikingly, sexual orientation.

The fact that this report was suppressed and shelved and no attempt was made to deal with its findings is a damning indictment of senior officials at the college. As a result of what I have mentioned, many cases have been brought by staff of UCC against the institution. We saw recently where a Member of the House tabled a parliamentary question seeking information on the amount that UCC and other universities have spent on legal fees over the past number of years. The results were startling. Figures reveal that UCC has spent almost €1.5 million in the past five years on legal cases involving staff. These cases are on range of issues. In the report I mentioned, 55% of staff said that they would not feel comfortable reporting an issue if they felt they were treated unfairly, while 43% said they would not feel comfortable reporting an incident where they witnessed another staff member being treated unfairly. This is a culture of fear within - a fear to defend oneself, a fear to act and a fear to help others. Who are those who create a culture of fear? They can only be classed as bullies.

It can be argued that the fact UCC hired six full-time solicitors also creates a fear of taking on the establishment. When compared, for example, to Trinity College, the number of complaints made by staff is much higher than in UCC yet the legal costs are much lower. Staff in Trinity College have the confidence to bring any concerns they may have to the appropriate bodies within the college and have confidence in the internal processes that are in place. This is not the case in UCC. The latter uses the power of taxpayers' money to contest the outcomes of internal and external cases, such as the Jordan, Tyndall and Bushin cases. There have been scenarios whereby UCC has failed to implement the outcome of internal appeals cases, despite them having been chaired by a High Court judge. Staff at UCC do not want to appeal or question any grievances they have because they cannot rely on the internal processes at the college.

See this speech in context