Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Clarifying this is very important for every institute of technology. Is the Minister of State suggesting there is a timeline over which she wishes to see this completed? Is there a transition period and how long is it likely to be? Is there a numbers threshold? That might be what affects Athlone. Does it mean, in effect, that unless an institute is in a consortium or group, it will not have a pathway to university status, notwithstanding the fact that it may meet the other requirements? This is very important. As Deputy Troy said, the issue has been around for well over a decade. It was dealt with in the Houses extensively during the period in office of the last Government. It is a key issue for students whether they are selecting courses in an institute with the option of becoming a technological university by meeting the requirements in the Hunt report and the others down the years. That is something very significant and it needs to be clarified.