Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 363: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that State funding is not available on an equitable basis for the Dublin Institute of Technology to the Irel Research Database which is an invaluable source of material for third level research; and if she will assess whether this is consistent with Ireland's desire to open up opportunities in the knowledge economy. [7970/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been in discussions with the Higher Education Authority in relation to the possible extension of the electronic journals initiative to the Institutes of Technology sector, including the Dublin Institute of Technology. It should be noted that when this initiative was introduced into the university sector that funding from my Department was supplemented by additional funding from university budgets. If the electronic journals initiative is extended to any of the Institutes of Technology the same principle of co-funding would apply.

I understand also that the Higher Education Authority is continuing its discussions with representatives of the Institutes of Technology/Dublin Institute of Technology regarding the extension of this initiative to that sector. Any extension will have to take account of the demands on my Department's research budget and the cost/benefits of such an extension.