Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

These amendments insert new sections before the existing section 37 and relate to the quality assurance relationship between designated awarding bodies, the universities NUI, DIT and RCSI, and their linked providers. The new section 37 provides that relevant designated awarding bodies may, having carried out a review of a linked provider, issue directions relating to the effectiveness and implementation of the quality assurance procedures established by the linked provider concerned which the linked provider shall comply with, and the linked provider is required to provide relevant information to the relevant designated awarding body. This is similar to the power available to the authority in respect of its relevant providers.

The new section 38 provides for the withdrawal by a relevant designated awarding body of its approval of a linked provider's quality assurance procedures in a similar manner to that which is already set out in section 35, which relates to the authority and its relevant providers other than previously established universities. Furthermore, it also provides for the notification of the authority by the relevant designated awarding body of a decision to withdraw approval of a linked provider's quality assurance procedures. Where the authority receives such a notification, it shall, where applicable, withdraw the linked provider's authorisation to use the international mark. It also provides for the reversal of such a withdrawal where the linked provider successfully appeals against a decision to withdraw approval of its quality assurance procedures.