Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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The Sherkin Island Development Society, under its chairman, Michael Collins, who is no relation, has run what should simply be called a course of excellence, the Bachelor of Arts in visual art on the island off Baltimore since 2012. It has worked closely in that time with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin Institute of Technology, the local authority, which is Cork County Council, and the Sherkin Island community. They have worked together in funding and in the huge task of organising the course. Development officer, Aisling Moran, and the Sherkin Island group tell us that verbal commitments were given to the group from all concerned that funding would remain in place but in the past 12 months the local authority has reneged on its commitment, first stating it would not give the €20,000 that was previously committed and then saying it would only give €10,000 from the economic development fund and no more. All sorts of conflicting reports have been given as to why the local authority wants out. I am genuine in my belief that the local authority does not fully realise what it is doing. What is economic development money for? Any other local authority would be jumping out of its skin to fund something like this and to get such a prestigious course to an island in its jurisdiction. There are eight islands in my constituency and my respect for the island people is so high that I started my election campaign on an island some time back. Whiddy Island, Bere Island, Dursey Island, Cape Clear Island and the rest, like Sherkin, are doing their utmost to keep the life in their islands. This DIT course was a major boost to the island and the surrounding communities of Baltimore, Union Hall, Glandore, Leap and Skibbereen. Many families travelled with the students to west Cork each weekend while the course was ongoing. Councillors from west Cork are fully supportive of the local authority restoring the €20,000. Why are their voices being ignored? Are they not, like myself, elected by the people and answerable to the people? In one weekend in May, 1,000 people visited the island for the degree exhibition. At a time when traditional island incomes from farming and fishing are under threat, this course is a major boost to the island. It also created three skilled jobs for the community, with three roles divided between four people. Will the Minister of State give the island people of Sherkin hope that the €10,000 will be found to save the course?

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I too want to put my shoulder to the wheel on this very important issue. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting it for discussion today. The continuation of this very successful programme with Dublin Institute of Technology is of massive importance. We all have to work together in whatever way we can to avoid the teaching staff being made redundant in the next three weeks. There are difficulties getting Cork County Council to comply with the commitments given to support the programme. The background to the matter is that the programme has been running on Sherkin Island for some years now. It is enthusiastically supported by DIT, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, local and national politicians and the local community of west Cork. In 2016, Cork County Council committed to providing the €20,000 of funding that would enable the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to pay a grant of €40,000. The combination of both these funding sources of €60,000 was deemed adequate to maintain the programme while there was a commitment from the council to further enhance the programme in line with the Government policy on rural development. The Minister of State knows that in the programme for Government, the Government made many commitments with regard to rural Ireland. This is a typical case in point which could not be more sincere. The Minister of State might ask how he is responsible for what Cork County Council reneges on.

I thank Deputy Collins for his important work on this issue to date. We want to maintain our islands. We want to keep people living on, going to and visiting the islands and having an economic vibrancy about them. Taking away this combined €60,000 would be disastrous. I am asking the Government to use its influence with Cork County Council - it is only €10,000 - to make sure the money is provided because there will be a massive pay-off in the local community.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am standing in for the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, who has asked me to reply to the Deputies.

The position is that the Department of Education and Skills allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority, HEA, for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions, including Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, along with any funding it receives from private sources, is a matter for the individual institution. The Bachelor of Arts in visual art has been delivered by DIT in partnership with the Sherkin Island Development Society for the past 14 years. The programme is a full-time honours degree programme delivered on Sherkin Island. It was developed and designed by DIT in collaboration with the Sherkin Island Development Society. The programme represents an innovative approach to programme delivery and partnership in education. The programme engages explicitly with the Sherkin Island community and fosters a critical understanding of the community’s cultural and economic relationships. By means of this partnership, DIT provides the necessary academic input, with lectures taking place in Sherkin by video link. The Sherkin Island Development Society provides the administrative assistance and facilities to ensure the smooth running of the programme and to support students on site in Sherkin. The Minister for Education and Skills understands that this model has been effective in delivering a model of outreach education that is valued by both students, the academic teaching staff and the community. The Department does not have a role in the funding of the Sherkin Island Development Society. However, the Minister understands that a meeting was held on 12 February between DIT and the funding partners for the Sherkin Island Development Society programme, namely, the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht and Cork County Council. The Department has been informed that one of the items discussed at this meeting was the future support available to continue the visual art BA programme that is delivered by DIT.

Officials from the Department of Education and Skills understand that both DIT and the Sherkin Island development society are awaiting formal communication from the funding partners about the outcome of this meeting. DIT has reiterated its continued commitment to the visual arts programme and its desire to continue the outreach programme in partnership with the Sherkin Island development society. However, this is contingent on the Sherkin Island development society being able to continue its support for the programme. To provide the necessary reassurance for students while discussions about the future of the programme have been ongoing, DIT has provided a commitment to the cohort of students currently on the programme that they will be able to complete the programme on graduation. The commitment is provided under DIT's policy for protection of enrolled learners.

DIT is willing to continue to deliver the programme in partnership with the Sherkin Island development society but, ultimately, funding for the Sherkin Island development society is not a matter for the Department of Education and Skills. The Minister, Deputy Halligan, thanks the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to respond to the House on his behalf.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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The Minister of State said this was not the responsibility of the Department of Education and Skills. I wish the Minister with responsibility for this issue was here to answer questions because we need answers to them. This programme needs an annual input of €60,000 each year to deliver the BA. For €60,000 in investment, funders receive a programme valued at approximately €415,000. As a direct result of this programme, an economic spin-off to the value of €150,000 is generated. The €60,000 investment funds one full-time and three part-time jobs located on Sherkin. The in-kind voluntary contribution by the Sherkin Island community has been valued at €40,000, with the Dublin Institute of Technology contributing an estimated €311,000 to the programme delivery. The financial management group has estimated that the BA course in visual arts, as part of the island of the arts, generates in the region of €150,000 for Sherkin Island per annum. DIT proposes to undertake social and economic benchmarking of the impact of the provision of the course on Sherkin Island.

The figures speak for themselves. I ask the Minister to meet the Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy McHugh, and to get everybody to sit around the table, including the local authority, the Minister, DIT and local public representatives who want this to continue. It is an invaluable course to the island and five people who did the course last year have continued to reside on the island. That is island life and it is what we have been fighting for over many years. The money is small in the scheme of things.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I ask for common sense in this debate. For the small amount of €10,000 and the massive payback we get in the locality, is it worth it or not? I do not care whether the €10,000 by which we are short is to be funded by Cork County Council, the Department of Education and Skills or elsewhere. It is a very small amount of money and it is common sense to provide it as the economic benefit is massive for the island and the surrounding areas. It will send out the wrong message if this course falls because of a shortage of €10,000. I ask the Minister with responsibility for the islands, the Minister for Education and Skills and other stakeholders to have a meeting as a matter of urgency to safeguard this extremely important course. When five people are living on an island who did not live there previously and they like the area, that is what we want.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising the issue and I fully understand their frustrations over a very small amount of money. The Department understands that DIT is willing to continue to deliver the programme in partnership with the Sherkin Island development society, but ultimately funding for the Sherkin Island development society is not a matter for the Department of Education and Skills. I hope both Deputies understand that. I call on Cork County Council to play a role in settling this issue. There is funding from the Department of Education and Skills through the Higher Education Authority which subsequently goes to the Dublin Institute of Technology, and DIT is willing to play its part, but there is an onus on Cork County Council and I call on it to look at the issue. It is very important for island life, especially on Sherkin Island, and when I heard the debate on "Morning Ireland" last week, I could not understand how it could not have been sorted out before it went onto national radio, or came before this Chamber for that matter. The Deputies are right that a common-sense approach is needed. It breathes life into the island and I ask Cork County Council to reconsider its decision.