The Cork Institute of Technology has hit back angrily at the Cork School of Music Concerned Parents Group for running what it perceives to be a campaign of misinformation concerning budgetary cutbacks at the facility.

A spokesperson for CIT told the Cork Independent yesterday that the CSM Parents Association have been continuously informed as to the specific nature of the cutbacks and that their criticisms over the budgetary reductions were unreasonable and misinformed.

The criticism comes ahead of a meeting to be held tonight (Thursday, June 19) where members of the CSM Parents Association and public representatives will discuss the cutbacks, amid concerns that any such funding constraints will impact on the facilities ability to deliver classes to first and second level students.

However, the CIT spokesperson refuted these claims outright, saying, "It's complete fabrication to say that first and second level students are going to suffer as a result of these cutbacks. Such claims are simply misinformed, which is disappointing as we have continuously kept in touch with the Parents Association with regards to the budgetary cutbacks, which are occurring across the board through all departments.

"These cutbacks are not unique to the Cork School of Music. However, the €140,000 that is being suggested is cut from their allocated budget of €6 million represents a far smaller percentage then the cutbacks being implanted within other departments. The fact of the matter is that costs have increased substantially at the School of Music over the past year. As an example, the electricity bill for April in 2007 came to €44,000. In April of this year that electricity bill had risen to €71,000, an increase of 60%. In that regard the cutbacks are minimal, and CIT are now looking for the most painless way to apply the new budgets right across the campus," she concluded.

A member of the CSM Parents Association, speaking to the Cork Independent ahead of tonight's meeting, claimed the €140,000 figure was "disingenuous" and said that such a sum could be raised by the parents in order to prevent a substantial cut in teaching hours and part-time staff redundancies.

The €62 million Cork School of Music, which endured a difficult birthing period through an unsteady public/private partnership scheme, opened less then a year ago and currently has over 400 full-time students and approximately 2,000 number of part-time students.

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