Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I welcome the timescale of the process outlined by the Minister. Are heads of a Bill required to bring forward legislation to implement the process? There is a precedent. The University of Limerick was established in 1972 as the National Institute of Higher Education. Is it possible this precedent could be used in future? It is important that the matter is not kept off the agenda for an indefinite period. The south east is probably the largest area of the country with no university in the area and it has a population of approximately 500,000. I support the views of my colleagues in Waterford, including Deputy Coffey, who are keen to progress the idea in the south-east area, given the high unemployment situation there at the moment. We need an impetus such as a technological university to address this.

See this speech in context