Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I completely agree with the Senator. I would suggest to the Senator a technological university for Connacht-Ulster should be established. The Connacht-Ulster Alliance Consortium, CUAC, is the potential answer to that, because with that will come funding and scale, which we really need. The cross-Border piece, particularly in the north-west, when I look at the map of the island of Ireland, it seems to me to be a no-brainer that there is the potential to do more in that regard. I would really like to see the application from the consortium for the technological university for the north west to arrive as soon as possible. I know there is a huge amount of work being done on it as we speak, and I thank them for that. During the lifetime of this Government, if we can deliver for the south east and the north west, if one looks at the map of Ireland, it will be much more regionally balanced from an education and research point of view.