Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for coming before the committee. I reiterate what I said last week about technological universities having the potential to be a transformative development in Irish society in general and not just in Irish education. When we look at the 2011 national strategy for further education, the Technological Universities Act 2018 and the TURN report, it is evident that we are doing something transformative. That is why the new Department of the Minister and the Minister of State is so important.

The Minister will be aware that universities can have an enormous impact on their surrounding regions. Moving UCD to the new campus at Belfield many years ago had an astonishing impact not just on the south of Dublin but on the entire Dublin area. I have no doubt that technological universities can have such a transformative effect on the regions in which they are based.

Funding will be a big issue. The Government will be required to provide capital funding. Realistically, these technological universities are not going to succeed unless private investment can also be attracted. This is not an argument for the privatisation of education. We must ensure that industries, such as those involved in innovation in areas such as technology and pharmaceuticals, are linked to and provide funding for these technological universities. I ask the Minister to outline any existing plans on how to encourage the private sector to engage in a symbiotic relationship with the technological universities to ensure a secure source of funding comes from the private sector, as well as the State funding for the primary purpose of technological universities.

The decision regarding who will be on the board of a university that is just starting is very important. That selection has an enormous impact on whether a technological university will succeed or fail. We try to ensure now that every form of appointment to a board is done meticulously and we do not seem to favour any particular individual over another. I appeal to the Minister and the Minister of State, both of whom have good knowledge, awareness and judgment of who is effective on boards, to use their own judgment and to not just become a concierge for the Public Appointment Service, PAS, to just announce whomever has been recommended. We really need to go out and attract people and ask them to take on this exciting role in technological universities. By doing that, it will be possible to appeal to a broader range of people than by simply placing an advertisement in the newspapers. I hope the Minister and the Minister of State might have a minute or so to address those questions.