Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister for Education and Skills will be aware, two staff members in the University of Limerick became whistleblowers. They are in dispute with the university. They raised issues relating to wrongful expenditure of public moneys. Their views were upheld by a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General and a report by Professor Richard Thorn who was appointed to report independently on the matter. These two women are suspended without pay, despite the university having undertaken to restore them to full employment and, to facilitate them in returning to work, giving them an assurance that they would not be returned to the university's finance department.

Mr. Kieran Mulvey was appointed to undertake mediation. Unfortunately, there has not been engagement. I understand that the university is attempting to put the two women back into the finance department having previously agreed not to do same. They should not be victimised because they became whistleblowers. I call on the Minister to become involved and seek to find a resolution to the matter as quickly as possible.

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