Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter and welcome the Minister for Education and Skills to the House. I thank him for taking this serious matter in respect of the Mayo campus of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.It disappoints me greatly to have to discuss what has happened on the Mayo campus of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. The Mayo campus was established following a long and hard fought campaign dating back to the mid-1980s. The case was fought vigorously by chambers of commerce and educational interests. Mr. Paddy McGuinness ran as a candidate in a by-election in County Mayo in 1994. There had been various commitments given by various Governments over many years, including by the late former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald. There was a realisation there was a need for a Mayo regional technical college, as such colleges were known at the time. The reason a case was made for such a college in Mayo was it was, geographically, the third largest county in Ireland. Besides this, a high percentage of students from the county went on to third level education, more than from any other county at the time. Great sacrifices were made by the parents of students from the county. Free secondary school education was introduced in the late 1960s. Parents fought to send their children to third level institutions, with the result that a case could be made to have a regional technical college in Castlebar. It was eventually rolled out, in association with Galway Regional Technical College. It was felt the best possible thing to do was to have a Mayo campus as part of Galway Regional Technical College, as it was known at the time. This approach was accepted and it was expected courses would be established and linked with a major regional technical college.

The Higher Education Authority was the funding model used for regional technical colleges and various outreach campuses throughout the country, but the Mayo campus involves more than just funding. There is a need for a root and branch review of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and the Castlebar campus, not just in terms of money but also from the point of view of governance.

Some people are afraid to speak out, but they should do so. I have received a large amount of correspondence about what is taking place in Castlebar. Part of a letter I received from a woman reads:

Our campus is particularly angry at this sectarian language that is being used because as far as we are concerned we are part of the same reserves/resources. While we would welcome ring-fenced funding and recognise the financial issues with sustaining the campus, this language of "them and us" is actually an issue that has been a feature of the Mayo campus reality for many years.

Recent letters from the Higher Education Authority have referred to such matters. The letter continues:

The Mayo campus has a vibrant, dynamic community of staff that are utterly dedicated to what we do. We have, over the years, come up with multitudes of solutions to the issues we have faced. I am so frustrated by the fact that we want to do our jobs, we want to fulfil our remit to the region, but unfortunately we have been subjected to a sustained attack and cannibalism of our intellectual property by the Galway Campus.

Whenever resources are mentioned, Mayo have to do everything under existing resources (on the Mayo campus), whereas Mayo Campus resources are considered a "pool of resources" to be shared with Galway. In other words, "what's ours is ours and what's yours is yours." We have been subjected to ridiculous levels of scrutiny, way above and beyond what happens on the Galway Campus or other Institutes when it comes to course validation.

That suggests that when the Mayo campus comes up with a course it wants to run, it has subject o undue validation compared to other institutions throughout the country.

The letter continues:

We also know that enquiries for our courses that go to Galway are often met with apathy, misinformation and deliberate attempts to get them on a course in Galway.

When students in Galway inquire about courses taking place in Castlebar and if a similar course is taking place in Galway, people in Galway push them to go to Galway where everything is much better. Of course, we know this well from the health board previously; Galway wants everything at the expense of Roscommon, Mayo and other counties.

As I have said previously in the House, the Mayo campus has been bullied by the Galway campus for many years and strict action is needed. The Minister needs to investigate the matter. The Mayo campus needs to be looked at in detail. It is much more than a funding issue. I ask the Minister to establish a team of investigation to see what is taking place.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I will deal with the general issue first. I believe regional institutions will be crucial to our long-term competitiveness and ability to ensure the regions can compete and build a genuine sustainable competitive advantage. Everyone recognises that one of the key priorities is not only to build on the 200,000 jobs we have delivered with another 200,000 in the coming period but also to ensure a regional spread. The institutes of education will be crucial in that regard.

We recognise that the entire higher education sector has been under sustained funding pressure. These institutes do not have the same funding model applied elsewhere, with pupil-teacher ratios at primary and second level protecting investment. They have been managing exceptionally well against a background of diminishing resources and rising student numbers.

We are reviewing higher education funding. As the Senator will be aware, this year I received a commitment from the Government to invest €36 million. I have also received a commitment that for the next three years there will be an escalator in order that with, rising student enrolments, there will be an increased commitment worth €160 million. I have also agreed to work with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, to develop an Exchequer employer investment mechanism. Beyond this, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills is examining the report by Mr. Peter Cassells on long-term funding sources.

A recent HEA report indicated the financial pressure that was emerging in institutes of technology. The HEA met GMIT as one of the bodies experiencing financial difficulties. The HEA has a policy framework in place for engaging with vulnerable institutes of technology which has been triggered in this case. It requires institutes of technology to submit a three-year plan to return them to a balanced budget. If an institute is unable to demonstrate how a return to a balanced budget can be achieved within this timeframe or if actual performance deviates significantly from the plan, the HEA will seek the appointment of an independent financial expert to work with the governing body and the executive management team to agree a revised plan and programme of remedial action.

The first of what is expected to be a series of meetings was held last week between the GMIT executive and the HEA to discuss a number of issues related to the financial position of the institute, including those specific to the Castlebar campus. A financial management plan has been submitted to the governing authority of GMIT and it is expected this plan will be further discussed at the next meeting in January. In the meantime the HEA is continuing to work with GMIT management to address the issues at the institute.

The HEA has reiterated its commitment to multi-campus provision, as supported by the national strategy for higher education. I share that commitment. The HEA has also stated plans for the future of GMIT must support the sustainable development of all campuses, including the Castlebar campus. The HEA states it is committed to examining the issue of the funding of regional campuses as part of its review of the funding model which is under way.

I am not aware of the evidence supporting the case the Senator made that there has been sectarian language from the HEA. If he wants to bring it to my attention, I will certainly pursue the matter. With allegations of the poaching of students, etc., it appears that feelings are running high.If we are to develop a successful model to ensure the long-term path for GMIT, including Castlebar, there are issues that need to be overcome. I am not going to establish some special review body in respect of something of this nature.

Clearly, if issues are brought to my attention, I will ensure that the HEA investigates them. Having said that, the HEA is now developing a relationship with GMIT in the context of the financial difficulties and that is the best route through which these issues can surface and be addressed. We are determined to get a strong institute of technology network for the long term. It is our view that we should see stronger integration of such institutions within a technological university concept. As such, it is our desire to see the merger of various institutions while preserving the multiple campus locations which are key to regional diversity.

If the Senator wishes to bring forward concerns that need to be addressed in this review, I would be happy to do that. If there is evidence supporting the various matters raised in the e-mails he read from, we will happily examine that. However, I am not going to set up some sort of star chamber review of activity. We need to develop a governance model that can ensure the viability of this institution with all of its campuses. That is where our attention will be devoted.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for the reply. I have no doubt that he is fully committed to institutes of technology which are required to link to industry. However, I note to the Minister that Mayo has no head of campus at the moment. All departments now report to the Galway campus, which is a significant downgrading. The person has handed in her notice. She was put on a one-year contract and left for quite a long period before the contract was eventually handed out to her for this year. She has now resigned. As such, the Minister's Department has to ask why she has tendered her resignation. The Minister said he did not know about those issues and I have no doubt that he did not. They would not have been brought to his attention. As I have said, Castlebar has been bullied by Galway, which is not good enough. I still ask the Minister at this stage to get some official in his Department to investigate what is going on.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Senator that any matters that are brought to our attention will be examined by the HEA in the context of the development of this viability plan. That plan is going to the board, which will have an opportunity to consider it. I have to recognise that where an institution is in financial difficulty, there will be higher levels of accountability and scrutiny expected of all parts of it. Demanding higher levels of accountability and scrutiny in the current climate is not necessarily an indication of some sort of vindictive attitude.

I am not familiar with the reason the head of campus has resigned. Of course, that is a decision a person will make, but we will seek to ensure that there is proper leadership within Castlebar so that it can be a full part of the planned development. The key here is to ensure that this strong institute with a very strong tradition can be protected in a period where there is financial pressure on the institutes generally. As I say, the wider context is that we are now increasing investment in this area and that will be available to all institutions for which they can compete so that they can deliver improved services.