Mr. Ned Costello:

I can make a comment, but I will stay within my remit. Before the Deputy arrived we were talking about the big questions surrounding the affordability of the creation of universities and where the money would come from. I should reference the very positive collaboration between Maynooth university and AIT. That is where some of the imperative in national policy for clustering is originating. In reality, it will not be possible to have a university in every location in Ireland and what we must do is ensure that the relationships between universities and institutes of technology and other higher education institutions are working as effectively as possible. There is a very strong linkage with Athlone, not least because Maynooth would see itself as facing the midlands as well as the hinterland of the Dublin metropolitan area. That is not the perfect answer, but it is the best one I can give.