Further and Higher Education
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Shane Moynihan (FF), Dublin Mid-West

I will clarify that I am asking this question on my own part, because I discovered the lacuna that Marino is not under the aegis of the Minister’s Department. This query has not been requested by Marino.
As the Minister said, it is a fine institution. My wife is a graduate of it. She did her degree there. I am also struck by the sheer range of programmes it offers. It does not just offer primary school teacher training programmes. It also offers the early childhood education programme and a further education and training programme. I was puzzled, therefore, when I learned it was not under the aegis of the Minister’s Department. The Minister’s answer would suggest that the college needs to designate itself appropriately to be under the aegis of the Minister’s Department, as opposed to it falling outside its remit. Could the Minister go into a bit more detail about where the lines lie in respect of it falling under his remit? If the college were to decide to take the path referred to, and, again, I have not spoken to the institution about this issue, what sort of timeframe might see it falling under the remit of the Minister?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23