Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 20: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will request each third level institution to publish the number of staff involved in direct education provision and those involved in indirect activities which do not involve teaching or research, with clear audit policies used for conducting this survey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44335/08]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 44: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will ensure that all third level institutions will publish the number of staff and students in each academic department in their annual reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44334/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 44 together.

It is a matter for the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to determine the format of annual reports published by Institutes of Technology. The format of the reports published by individual universities is determined by their respective Governing authorities.

I believe the development of appropriate data collection and reporting systems is critical to providing the information necessary for the management, oversight and development of the higher education sector. While some institutions report staff and student statistics in their annual reports by academic department, as there is no consistent definition of what constitutes an academic department across the higher education sector, comparison of this data is not meaningful.

With a view to developing enhanced data collection and reporting systems, the HEA has been consulting with partner agencies in order to define a common format that meets all agencies' needs. This process is at an early stage, and will require agreement across all interested agencies and higher education institutions to succeed. It is envisaged that timely annual reporting of staff numbers by discipline and activity will emerge from this process.

My Department, through the Strategic Innovation Fund, is also funding a number of specific projects that will contribute to this process. These include:

the Irish Universities Association project on Building Strategic Information/Decision-Support Capacity

the Irish Universities Association Full Economic Costing project,

the Institutes of Technology Ireland project on Delivering Systemic Change,

institution specific projects such as the DIT Strategic Management and Change project.