IT IS GENERALLY believed that asbestos roofing is a bad thing. Asbestos can make you quite sick, as a health warning by the Understater General might put it.

The Newgate Street building of the Waterford Institute of Technology, which houses WIT's art and design sector, has an asbestos roof sealed with lead paint.

"The main thing we are concerned about is the asbestos roof over their heads," says John McGrath, president of the WIT students' union, who describes the art and design sector as "the third world" of the education system.

"There have been efforts to improve it but they are fairly superficial attempts. They have done their best with the building, but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

According to the registrar of the college, Patrick Downey, the facilities in Newgate Street are "very good" and, following two independent reports, the environment is regarded as "perfectly safe".

"The issue of the roof has been brought to our attention on a number of occasions and on two separate occasions we were told that there was no issue with the roof," he says. "We would certainly not dream of putting students and staff in an unsafe environment."

There are now plans to transfer art and design students from New gate Street into a refurbished convent building. The necessary development work is likely to be completed next month and the college anticipates that, with the exception of some workshops in Newgate Street, all art and design facilities will be housed in the refurbished building.