Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Lowry for his questions. I also thank him for keeping in touch with me, the Government, Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology on this project.

This is transformational. When we talk about Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology, people automatically think about Limerick and Athlone when the former obviously has a clear and firm footprint in Tipperary in both Thurles and Clonmel. This is going to be transformational for County Tipperary. As Deputy Lowry said, Thurles and Clonmel will become university towns. Young and not-so-young people in Tipperary will be able to access university education in their county. They will no longer have to pack their bags to head to some other county or city. It is transformational not just for education but in many other ways. We know that the longer somebody stays in their county, the more likely they are to put down roots there, to raise their own family there and to get a job there. Hopefully, this will rejuvenate, regenerate and revitalise rural and provincial areas. Tipperary will be very well-placed in that regard.

The Government's commitment to this comes with an assurance of wanting to do more on the capital side, as well as looking for opportunities to expand and grow the university presence as we form technological universities.

The international panel concluded its work around the end of February. It is now in the process of finalising its report which it will submit to the Higher Education Authority. It will then get input from Quality and Qualifications Ireland. Then the report is submitted to me with the recommendation to grant or not. I would be very hopeful of a positive recommendation. A significant amount of work has been done. I thank all the staff in Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology, particularly the two presidents for their leadership. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and I will be keeping in close contact with them. Obviously, the Minister of State has a keen interest in this. I know that the hopefully soon-to-be new technological university is eager to be designated as quickly as possible. That is certainly my aim as well. We will be in a position to put a specific date on that once I receive the report.

It is all systems go. It is a really exciting time, not just for the midlands and mid-west but also for County Tipperary. Thurles and Clonmel could, this calendar year, potentially be university towns.

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