Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Tralee Regional Technical College, as it was then called, was approved in 1977 by the then Minister for Education, Mr. Peter Barry. At that time, it was envisaged that the role of the college would be to provide a limited number of one-year and two-year higher certificate programmes, validated by the NCEA, and an extensive range of engineering apprenticeship courses linked to FÁS. There were plans to cater for a total student population of 350 by the turn of the millennium. It was thought that the college would primarily serve the south-west Munster region, which is still the case, with the student population drawn mainly from Kerry and parts of counties Clare, Cork and Limerick.

With a student population of over 3,000, the policy of providing programmes to satisfy regional demand for graduates still holds today and the institute now offers programmes at craft, higher certificate, ordinary bachelor degree, honours bachelor degree and postgraduate level. From its inception, it was the institute's policy to offer educational opportunities to disadvantaged and disabled students and it has an enviable record of achievement in this area. Throughout its history, staff have been actively involved in the development of the local community and in assisting the socioeconomic growth of the region through research and development activities.

A major development was the re-designation of the college as an institute of technology in 1997. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength and has become a major educational centre in the south west. In recent months, a number of students and staff of the institute have been in contact with me expressing concern that there seems to be no progress on the provision of the promised new library building, student facilities building or indoor sports facility.

In 1998, the original phase 1 of the North Campus development was split into two phases — phase 1A, which consisted of business, information technology, hotel and catering and tourism buildings; and phase 1B, which consisted of a library, student facilities and sports buildings. There was a firm commitment that when phase 1A building was completed in 2001, work would begin on phase 1B buildings in 2002 or 2003 at the latest. However, this has not happened. As I understand it, floor plans and layouts for both phase 1A and phase 1B have been at an advanced stage since 1998 but nothing has happened.

I ask the Minister for Education and Science, through the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, to clarify the amount of funds provided by the building unit of her Department to the Institute of Technology, Tralee, for architectural and other professional fees, and to whom they were payable for phase 1A buildings of the North Campus development and separately for phase 1B of that development in each of the years 1998 to 2005. This would exclude the clinical studies building, which was funded by the Department of Health and Children.

I would appreciate it if the Minister would provide information on the current status of departmental approval and capital funding scheduling for the buildings of phase 1B, particularly for the library building, the student facilities building and the sports building, and the other buildings of phase 1B. I would like to know the reason for the delay in providing these badly needed buildings and the other buildings of phase 1B, which were promised to commence in 2002 or 2003 at the latest. Was this due to her Department or the Department of Finance? Also, will the Minister provide the schedule of proposed commencement dates envisaged by the building unit of her Department for each of these buildings?

Finally, has the Minister or her Department plans to move the current activities of the South Campus to the North Campus, as envisaged in phase 2 of the institute development plan in 1998? I am sure she would agree that reuniting both campuses would enhance the quality of life for students and staff and save the Exchequer the extra costs incurred by the institute in running a dual campus arrangement.

See this speech in context