Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment. I look forward to working with him in his role in the new Department which is the subject of the Bill and which will be known as the "Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science". This title reflects the importance of the new Department.

I fully support the Bill and I do not see a reason to amend any of the sections as proposed. What is important is the work the Minister of State and his Department colleagues will carry out. In his statement when he was setting up this new Department, the Taoiseach said: "The single most important decision in delivering progress for modern Ireland involved a decisive move towards expanding educational opportunity." I fully agree with him. It is in this context that I want to raise with the Minister of State the progress towards the setting up of the various technological universities across the State. The one I wish to specifically speak about relates to the Connacht-Ulster alliance, which comprises a number of campuses across the north west, and the colleges of Sligo IT, Letterkenny IT, and GMIT. I have raised this issue with the previous Minister for Education and Skills, and I have raised it with the Taoiseach.

It is important to reiterate that I agree fully with the Taoiseach's statement that the single most important decision in delivering progress for modern Ireland - and for the regions that make up modern Ireland - involves a decisive move towards expanding educational opportunities. This is under way and one of its manifestations is the setting up of the technological universities. If we read the programme for Government, we can see the commitment to these technological universities. We can also see that the technological university in the south east is specifically mentioned. When I read through the programme for Government I got a fright when I saw that it was mentioned a second time. Yes, the technological university in the south east is very important and I wish them success and luck but it sends out a strong message that this technological university is the priority. There was no mention whatsoever of the Connacht-Ulster alliance. The only other third level college mentioned in the programme for Government is Magee. I will come back to that matter later. There is no mention in the programme for Government of any of the campuses that make up the Connacht-Ulster alliance. The previous Minister of State with responsibility for higher education, former Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, allocated a multi-annual fund of €90 million to assist the progression and development of the technological universities. I have a question for the Minister of State to which I expect a written response as I do not need to hear it today. How much of that fund has been allocated to the individual consortia that make up the different technological universities?

I am fully supportive of the enormous work and real progress by all involved, including Sligo IT, Letterkenny IT, and GMIT, in progressing the Connacht-Ulster alliance and in their progress towards meeting the criteria. This is a process and there is, rightly, an independent assessment as to whether or not the applicants meet the criteria. It is not a political process, it is an educational one. I have read the process and criteria for designation as a technological university. For the preparation of the plan to meet the criteria it states: "The establishment of a technological university requires the consolidation of two or more institutions." This means that if all the three colleges I mentioned are not in a position by autumn to apply for technological university status then two out of the three can proceed. I understand that the third college can join up at a later stage when it meets the criteria. I want to put on the record of the House that I absolutely and fervently hope that all three institutions will meet the criteria by the end of this year.

I was privileged to represent that entire region for 15 years in the European Parliament. I know this is not a parochial issue and that it is an issue for the region.

In the unfortunate circumstances, however, that this is not the case and only two of the three colleges reach the criteria, it is absolutely crucial that those two can proceed and the third college can link up when it is in the position to meet the criteria. Again, if we goes back to the process, once the application is submitted, a decision will be made within six months. However, if the application is rejected because it does not meet the criteria, then there is a five-year wait. That simply cannot be allowed to happen.

The reason I emphasise this is because I do not want any chance to arise that the Connacht-Ulster Alliance would not go ahead successfully in its application by this autumn. In my time as a politician, I have seen too many important issues slip off the agenda. There has been an economic gap between the regions with a consistent underspend in the north west, year by year, sector by sector. That underspend is across the board. It is documented in the Northern and Western Regional Assembly report from several months ago. It occurs in health, education, roads - national and local, as well as research and development and fewer jobs created. All those figures are per capita.

We are looking to the future, however. I do not think anybody set out to have this happen. It just happened by default or by the fact that people were not as proactive as they should have been. I want to ensure that our higher education institutions can make the application and play an important role in the educational, social and economic growth of the region.

Earlier I referred to Magee College. I would be delighted to see cross-Border collaboration between the Connacht-Ulster Alliance and Magee College. This would be vital because cross-Border collaboration is important. However, the Connacht-Ulster Alliance must go ahead under its own steam. It will provide us with a centre of excellence, innovation and one that will be able to respond to the needs of the entire region.

The Northern and Western Regional Assembly has provided statistics that show that between 2013 and 2018, the level of general capital funding provided per undergraduate student in the north west was €141 while the State average was €197. The spend in the other regions was much higher. That is why I want to ensure that the Minister and the Department are aware of this, that it does not continue, and that we get our fair share. Part of that process will be about ensuring a successful application for the Connacht-Ulster technological university.

See this speech in context