Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999

Chapter III

Charters

Charters.

31.—(1) A recognised institution which has authority to make awards delegated to it under section 29 shall have a charter which shall not conflict with this Act or with the Regional Technical Colleges Acts, 1992 and 1994.

(2) The Minister may, from time to time, make regulations for the purposes of specifying the matters to be included by a recognised institution in a charter referred to in subsection (1) and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing such matters may include, but not necessarily be limited to, all or any of the following:

(a) its arrangements for consultation and co-operation with the community in the region served by that institution, including commercial and industrial interests in that community;

(b) its criteria for determining the level of demand for particular programmes of education and training and the levels of such programmes;

(c) its policy in respect of adult and continuing education and the arrangements established for the provision of such education, including part-time and evening programmes;

(d) its arrangements for the implementation of procedures for access, transfer and progression determined by the Authority under section 8 (2)(d);

(e) its arrangements for the promotion and use of the Irish language and the promotion of the distinctive cultures of Ireland;

(f) its procedures in relation to quality assurance of its programmes of education and training; and

(g) any other matters which the Minister considers appropriate for the purposes of a charter.

(3) Regulations made under this section may contain such incidental, supplementary and consequential provisions as appear to the Minister to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of those regulations.

(4) In preparing a charter, the governing body of a recognised institution—

(a) shall consult with the Authority and the Council, in such manner as the Authority and the Council think fit,

(b) shall consult with, in such manner as the governing body thinks fit, the academic council, the academic staff and other employees of the recognised institution, any recognised trade union or staff association, and any recognised student union or other student representative body, and

(c) may consult with any other person or group, both within and outside of the recognised institution, which the governing body considers appropriate.

(5) A draft of a charter proposed under this section shall be submitted by the governing body of the recognised institution concerned to the Minister with a request that the proposed charter be recognised, and the Minister may, by order, recognise the charter as so drafted where he or she is satisfied that it is not in conflict with this Act or with the Regional Technical Colleges Acts, 1992 and 1994.

(6) An order made under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

(7) The Minister may, following consultation with the recognised institution, by order amend or revoke an order made under this section, including an order made under this subsection.