NAMA homes could be offered to academics

HOMES owned by NAMA could be offered to attract overseas academics and researchers instead of colleges paying them exceptionally high salaries, says Education Minister, Ruairi Quinn.

Following revelations about unauthorised payments of up to €50,000 a year above approved salary levels to university managers and some visiting academics in recent years, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has cut funding to some colleges to recoup the overpayments.

While there is legal scope for universities to allow some exceptions to salary scales, those arrangements are being reviewed by the HEA, the Department of Education and Brendan Howlin’s Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. But colleges claim that more attractive remuneration packages are needed to bring the kind of names from overseas who can help lure private research investment and postgraduate students.