Madam, - The report in Tuesday's edition headed "Official audit of how third-level posts are filled" requires both correction and clarification.
The first sentence states: "The independent body that examines public service appointments is examining 'perceived irregularities' at six third-level colleges". This is not the position.
The words within quotation marks, "perceived irregularities", derive from a letter issued by me to TUI institute of technology branches.
The full sentence read: "Following on a number of perceived irregularities regarding appointments in institutes of technology, the executive committee put forward a claim to the Industrial Relations Forum that there be a review of these procedures with a view to promoting greater fairness and transparency."
My letter went on to say that this proposal was welcomed by the management authorities and that it had been agreed that a fundamental review of appointment procedures would be undertaken. That review has now commenced. The letter further states that while it is clear that this process "will not be in a position to address the specific instances, it is hoped that" the parties "can learn from such practices with a view to ensuring that procedures for the future are such as to preclude such bad practice".
The letter indicated that six named institutes were being visited. These were selected as a representative sample in terms of both size and geographical spread. No inference can be drawn that any bad practice has been demonstrated by the TUI to have occurred in these institutes.
All parties to the review are committed to promoting best practice and eliminating any perception of departure from it. It is regrettable that the quotation from my letter has had the effect of entirely misrepresenting the view of the TUI with regard to institute of technology selection procedures. - Yours, etc,
PETER MacMENAMIN, Deputy General Secretary, Teachers' Union of Ireland, Orwell Road, Dublin 6.