Key Acts Impacting the HEA
Which acts impact the HEA?
Relevant legislation assigning function to the HEA includes the:
- Higher Education Authority Act, 1971
- Irish Universities Act 1997
- HEA Act 2022 (pdf)
- Institutes of Technology Act 2006
How do these acts impact the HEA?
Under these Acts, the HEA’s main functions are:
- To allocate the moneys provided by the Oireachtas to publicly funded institutions
- To assist in the co-ordination of State investment in higher education and the preparation of proposals for such investment
- To further the development of higher education
- To promote the attainment of equality of opportunity in higher education
- To promote the democratisation of structure in higher education
- To conduct reviews of the strategic plans, equality policies and the quality assurance procedures of the universities, and to publish the reports of such reviews (Irish Universities Act, 1997)
- To promote the attainment and maintenance of excellence in learning, teaching and research in higher education (Institutes of Technology Act, 2006)