Irish Centre for Migration Studies

ON July 2 last, the Irish Examiner published an article headed ‘University in bid to cut losses’. I would like to correct a number of errors in the article in connection with the closure of the Irish Centre for Migration Studies, of which I am director.

You will be aware that on Monday, June 23 a previous article on the closure of the Irish Centre for Migration Studies also contained a number of inaccuracies and that you published a letter correcting them.

I am mainly concerned with the following new inaccuracies in the later article: (a) The third paragraph stated that ‘academic figures have indicated that no decisions have been made, although there is a danger that a number of units could close’. This is incorrect. A decision confirming the closure of the centre was taken by the president of UCC in late May 2003 and copied to me in writing at the time. (b) Of more concern, the article stated that the centre ‘remains one of the most heavily subsidised research centres, believed to have cost about 150,000 last year’. This statement appears to suggest that the centre was in debt or needed to be subsidised to the tune of 150,000 in the year 2002.