Associated Bodies

Established under the Education Act, 1998 (Section 31), the Council assists with the provision of textbooks and other materials and the promotion of high quality education through the medium of Irish. It also conducts research and advises the Minister on strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the teaching of Irish.

The CICA was established on 23 May, 2000, pursuant to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000 and given three primary functions:

• to hear evidence of abuse from persons who allege they suffered abuse in childhood, in institutions, during the period from 1940 or earlier, to the present day;
• to conduct an inquiry into abuse of children in institutions during that period and, where satisfied that abuse occurred, to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse; and
• to prepare and publish reports on the results of the inquiry and on its recommendations in relation to dealing with the effects of such abuse.

It has no role in relation to financial compensation. That function rests with the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB).

Established under the Commission to inquire into child abuse (Amendment) Act 2005, the Education (Former Residents of Certain Institutions for Children) Finance Board is also known as the Education Finance Board.

The Education Finance Board is a statutory body established for the purpose of administering an Education Fund for former residents of certain institutions and their families.  This Fund has been established as a result of the Indemnity Agreement with the State and the Religious Congregations.

FÁS is Ireland's National Training and Employment Authority. It was established in January 1988 under the Labour Services Act 1987. Responsibility for training and the governance of FÁS transferred from the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Innovation to the Department of Education and Skills from May 2010.

FÁS' functions include the operation of training and employment programmes; the provision of an employment/recruitment service; an advisory service for industry; and support for community-based enterprises.

Established under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999, FETAC has responsibility for making and promoting quality awards in further education and training, validating the quality of programmes, setting national standards and establishing working partnerships. The role includes responsibility for making awards previously made by the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), CERT/NTCB, FÁS Teagasc and BIM.

The Grangegorman Development Agency is a statutory agency established in 2006 under the Grangegorman Development Agency Act, 2005 to redevelop the former St. Brendan's Hospital grounds in Dublin city centre as a new campus for the Dublin Institute of Technology and to provide community health facilities on behalf of the Health Services Executive.

The HEA is the statutory body responsible for the funding of universities and designated third-level education institutions. Its functions under the terms of the Higher Education Authority Act, 1971, include the development of third-level education to meet the needs of the community and to perform an advisory role in relation to all third-level education.

Established under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999, HETAC is the qualifications awarding body for third-level educational and training institutions outside the university sector. It is the successor to the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA).

HETAC's main functions include:

• Setting standards for higher education and training awards 
• Validation of higher education and training programmes
• Monitoring of institutional quality assurance procedures
• Delegation of awarding powers to recognised institutions
• Ensuring that student assessment procedures are fair and consistent
• Ensuring that arrangements are in place in commercial education and training institutions to protect learners where programmes validated by HETAC cease to be provided.

The IRCHSS was established in 2000 by the Minister in response to the need to develop Ireland's research capacity and skills base in a rapidly-changing global environment where knowledge is key to economic and social growth.

IRCHSS funds cutting-edge research in the humanities, social sciences, business and law. Through its membership of the European Science Foundation, the Council is committed to integrating Irish research in European and international networks of expertise. The IRCHSS is the National Contact Point for the Humanities and Social Sciences Framework Programme 7 (FP7). The Research Council operates a suite of interlinked Research Schemes. The IRCHSS Government of Ireland Post-Graduate Scholarships and Government of Ireland Post-Doctoral Fellowships fund research at pre- and post-doctoral levels.

Further details are available from the IRCHSS website: www.irchss.ie

The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology was established by the Minister in June, 2001.  IRCSET operates research funding initiatives which support talented researchers in their early stage career formation across Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral levels in the sciences, engineering and technology.
 
The emphasis of their funding programmes is on exploratory research aimed at yielding new concepts, findings and innovations within Ireland. Funding is made available through a series of strictly competitive calls for applicants. Selection for funding is based on merit and the decision processes are overseen by independent assessment panels.

Further details are available from the IRCHSS website : www.ircset.ie

Léargas is Ireland's National Agency for the management of transnational programmes in the areas of Youth Work, Primary and Secondary Education, Vocational Education and Training, and LifeLong Learning.

Established in 1998 under the auspices of the Department of Education and Skills the NCTE provides advice, support and information on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education.