Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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188. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to ensure that released prisoners have access to training and education, in view of the fact that it is an essential part of rebuilding life after conviction and in further view of Dublin Institute of Technology introducing Garda vetting for applicants to their access programme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15442/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Universities and institutes of technology, under the Universities Act 1997 and the Institutes of Technology Acts, are autonomous bodies and, as such, have responsibility for their own academic affairs, including issues relating to the admission of students.  Therefore it is a matter for the institutes themselves to set admissions requirements for individual programmes of education and training and to ensure that students meet those requirements before commencing their studies.

In this case it is my understanding that Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has now amended its Admissions policy and revisited an earlier decision to require Garda vetting at application stage for its Mature Student Access Foundation Programme.  DIT now proposes that for those students on the programme who express an interest in further study in areas where vetting is a requirement, the Admissions Office will work with them at an early stage to ensure a timely transition into their degree programme of choice.