Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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754. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the negotiations and discussions that have taken place at a local level between local management and local trade union representatives in Dublin Institute of Technology, Tallaght Institute of Technology and Blanchardstown Institute of Technology, in respect of the proposed merger of these three institutes and the anticipated change in their status; her views on the matter of trade union engagement in this process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11074/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Good communication between the leadership of any institute of technology entering into a merger and the staff and students of that higher education institution is extremely important so that a shared vision and understanding of the new institution can be developed. That message has been conveyed by the HEA and by my Department from the outset and I understand that consultation has taken place in the three institutes involved in the Dublin merger.

There has been broad engagement with stakeholders on this aspect of higher education reform, not least during the pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme of a Technological Universities Bill which was conducted by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection in 2014. That process enabled a range of stakeholders to recommend changes to the General Scheme which will be taken on board during the drafting process.