Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is not allowed to describe itself as a university here for marketing and labelling purposes but may do so outside the State; and his Department's reasoning for maintaining this restriction on the RCSI in the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015. [32437/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Universities Act 1997 provides the legal and regulatory framework for Irish universities.As part of the overall legal framework for the sector, the Act also provides for a limitation on the use of the title “university”.

The Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 provides for the authorisation by the Minister of the use of the description “university” by an education provider in limited circumstances outside the State for specified purposes.  Eligibility criteria and requirements which must be met are set out in the Act of 2015.

In line with the provisions of this legislation, RCSI were authorised by the Minister for Education and Skills in July 2015 to be described as a “university” outside of the state only, and only for the purposes clearly specified under the Act having met the eligibility criteria for authorisation set out in that Act.