A Limerick Institute of Technology lecturer is to be suspended on full pay while the college authorities request the Minister for Education to establish a sworn inquiry into an exam-cheating case.
The governing body agreed to the proposal, put by the college director, Mr J.P. MacDonagh, at yesterday's meeting.
The lecturer, Mr Gerry O'Loughlin, is head of the Department of the Built Environment. His son, Cormac, a Construction Studies student, admitted cheating at summer exams in 2000 by gaining access to model answers in his father's office.
The similarities between the model answers and the student's answer books were noticed by two lecturers who work under Mr O'Loughlin.
The student received a "fail" result and was suspended from exams for two years.
Mr MacDonagh's proposal follows an independent inquiry into the case carried out by the retired High Court judge, Mr Rory O'Hanlon, during which Mr O'Loughlin denied knowledge of his son's wrongdoing.
A college spokesman said yesterday's decision had been taken in the interests of natural justice and "to bring closure to the matter in the interests of the institute, its students and staff". Mr O'Loughlin was unavailable for comment.
Last Thursday in the Dβil, the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, conceded for the first time that he had the power to instigate an inquiry and to suspend an institute of technology employee when he believed the person had failed to perform his duty satisfactorily.
He was responding to the Fine Gael spokesman on education, Mr Michael Creed.
A department spokeswoman said the Minister would consider the college's request and would give an early decision on it.
Mr Mike Gleeson, the institute's student union president, welcomed the decision, saying students had a right to know what exactly happened.
The lecturers who brought the case to light, Mr Peter Ronan and Mr Michael O'Connor, are on sick leave and have been instructed by the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) not to speak to the press or any public representatives on the case.
They have alleged that they were bullied by the college management because they raised the issue, an allegation denied by the management. which stated that the lecturers had shown "a less than helpful attitude" in dealing with the case.