This section shows relevant legislation assigning function to the HEA.



Relevant legislation assigning function to the HEA includes the Higher Education Authority Act, 1971, the Irish Universities Act 1997 , HEA Act 2022 the Institutes of Technology Act 2006. Under these Acts, the HEA’s principal 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).

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