Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his questions. We were due to have an engagement this week, but I had to cancel for personal reasons. I am looking forward to having that engagement next week.

While I would not necessarily agree with all the language he used to set out his position, I take the points he made about the need for better governance structures. To take his second question first, we must overhaul governance and if he wants my Department to be able to do that, he must give us the legislative teeth we require. In March, I intend to bring the heads of a Bill to the Cabinet on a new governance Bill for the higher education sector. That will then go to the education committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. Subject to the committee doing its work, I would like to get that legislative measure passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas this year. In the legislative programme we published this week that is a key legislative measure for pre-legislative scrutiny in this session. I look forward to working with and briefing the Deputy, both as somebody who has an interest in higher education and as a member of the Committee of Public Accounts.

Quite simply, the governance structures are not fit for purpose. We must look at moving to competency-based governing authorities. We also must examine the HEA. It does very good work, but we have to consider it having the teeth it requires. The Minister of the day, whoever he or she is, needs to have the levers to pull so this House can oversee the investment. The extra investment in higher education has massively benefited many people. I believe it will transform our country. However, with extra investment there must be reform and a greater expectation of transparency and an alignment with national policies and goals.

As the Deputy knows, I want to deliver a technological university for the south-east. It is the only part of the country that does not have a university. Waterford Institute of Technology, WIT, is doing incredible work. With an investment in a university there will have to be an increase in budget and extra funding for the region. I am expecting an application from the Technological University of South East Ireland, TUSEI, consortium in April. I would very much like to see the new university being designated to commence on 1 January 2022 and, as the Deputy regularly tells me, there is a great deal of work to be done to ensure that happens, including the people of Waterford and other parts of the south-east seeing the additionality this university will bring.

Rather than anyone asking what this or that county will get, the city and county of Waterford will see additional benefit in terms of investment, campus size, course range and research. I am very eager and determined that will happen if it is to be a university of the worth that we all want it to be, and that is very much the case. I look forward to engaging with the Deputy, some of his colleagues, and some of the people from the south-east he introduced me to in the coming days.

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