Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is very important. Deputy Byrne asked the Minister of State earlier - and I would like it confirmed - whether the Government is actually committing to the retention of all the institutes of technology and the campuses in the diverse locations in which they exist around the country. For instance, in Blanchardstown, and similarly in Tallaght, the student population is relatively small compared to the mass of DIT. Many institutions are small but absolutely vital in terms of third level educational access for the people who live in the catchment areas. For instance, Blanchardstown attracts not just, as one might expect, a significant number of students from the north west of Dublin, but also a very significant number of students from Meath, and that has always been the case. Therefore, I would like the Minister of State to give an undertaking that the campuses will remain and that there will not be another agenda of slimming down the institutions as a consequence of the merger. This is a legitimate issue for local areas where, particularly if they are trying to attract foreign direct investment, having an institute of technology or being part in the future of a technological university is a really significant and important draw when trying to attract investment to the area.

The reason IBM came to west Dublin in the early 1990s was because people like me were campaigning to have an institute of technology, which did happen. Although small in terms of access to third-level education in the area, it has been very important.