Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Crowe. He is entirely correct that Ennis is going to become a university town and that the opportunities this will provide for the region are very significant. To update the Deputy, Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology submitted their application in November. We appointed the independent international panel in December. The panel conducted its stakeholder engagement in a virtual, Covid-safe way and concluded that process earlier this month, on 10 February. The panel will now submit its report to the HEA. The HEA will get input from QQI and then that report, including QQI input, will be sent to me. The legislation provides me with 60 days in which to make a decision and notify the consortium. The TU, in a very ambitious way - I like ambition and am not knocking it - would like to see a designation date of 1 September 2021.

We will have to decide the designation date once we go through all these processes. We cannot take them for granted. A motion will have to come to this committee and be passed by the Dáil and the Seanad. We will have to find the most appropriate designation date that works for everybody. It seems on track to me and I am very excited about it.