Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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289. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of the funds allocated to third level institutions that is set aside for legal defence against student complaints; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13248/17]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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290. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department allows funds meant for education to be spent on legal expenses in view of the importance of the core service provision across third level institutions; if there are rules and regulations to the type of defence that can be funded from core funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13249/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together.

My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions, including the Universities and Institutes of Technology. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of that funding is then a matter for the individual institution.

These institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day to day affairs, including the allocation of all of its income (both public and private) and in relation to any legal issues which the institution is involved in.