Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Verona Murphy for asking this question which she has asked of me many times in the last eight weeks. I know it is a priority for her and for all Oireachtas Members from the south east because it is potentially a transformational project in the context of regional development and access to higher education. I assure the Deputy that it is a priority for me as well. Indeed, the progression of technological universities is a key national strategic objective in terms of advancing the higher education agenda but also in terms of skills, access, research and regional development. The programme for Government specifically references the establishment of a technological university for the south east and it falls on me to do everything within my power to make sure that happens.

Obviously, as autonomous higher education institutions, it remains a matter for the governing bodies of the individual institutions engaged in a consortium seeking technological university designation under the requirements of the Technological Universities Act 2018. The Technological University for the South East Ireland, TUSEI, consortium of IT Carlow and Waterford IT continues to actively develop its application for technological university designation.

As the Deputy knows, in late July I announced that I had appointed Mr. Tom Boland as the independent programme executive director for the TUSEI project. He and his team are now tasked with driving the necessary change management process and ensuring an application is submitted to me under the 2018 Act. I recently met Mr. Boland and this month I will meet him, the presidents of the two relevant institutes of technology and the chairs of their governing boards. When I met Mr. Boland I underlined the Government's expectation that significant progress should be made in the months to year end on developing a robust project plan. It is key to have a project plan with milestones, accountability and implementation with a view to submitting a high quality application under the Technological Universities Act as soon as is feasible. Subject to speaking to the presidents, my understanding at this juncture is that an application is being readied with a view to submitting it by quarter 2 of 2021. In other words, I will need to be in a position to designate this by next summer if we are to go ahead with a commencement date in January 2022. It is my intention and Mr. Boland's intention that 1 January 2022 will be the start date for this new technological university. There is a hell of a lot of work to be done in order to achieve that.

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