Seanad debates
Thursday, 20 April 2023
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Higher Education
9:30 am
Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source
I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am pleased to have the opportunity to provide, on behalf of the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, an update on the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 which was only signed by the President on 10 October 2022. The majority of the sections of the Act were commenced on 10 November via SI 554 of 2022. The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 provides for the designation of institutions of higher education where the purpose and intent of this designation system is to protect the reputation and integrity of the higher education sector by bringing together all reputable, high quality higher education providers under the oversight of the Higher Education Authority, HEA. The designation provisions in the Act first set out the automatic designation of institutions that are currently established or recognised under legislation and which were designated under the Higher Education Authority Act 1971. Therefore, those automatically designated are the universities, technological universities, institutes of technology, the National College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
The legislation also provides for an application process to the HEA by not-for-profit or private higher education providers for designation by order of the Minister. These sections in the Act have not yet been commenced as the legislation requires this application process to have regulations in place detailing the conditions to be complied with by a higher education provider before a designation order can be made. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has started work on the development of these regulations. The completion of the designation regulations and the establishment of a process for designation by order will take further consideration, including consultation with the HEA. Once the regulations are prescribed and the process is fully developed, the relevant provisions of the Higher Education Authority Act will be commenced. It will then be open to the National College of Ireland to apply for designation by order under the legislation.
Institutions, including the National College of Ireland, will be informed once the designation by order process is open for applications by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
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