Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his positive response and for his determination to make progress in this area. I represent a constituency where, fortunately, there are two good colleges of further education, in Cavan and Monaghan. The Minister may recall that at our virtual meeting at Cavan Institute, we spoke again about the potential for co-operation. In our neighbouring counties, there are institutes of further education in Enniskillen and Omagh, which are long established and teach to a high standard. There is potential to co-operate on that cross-Border, all-Ireland basis.

As we know, further education is of great importance, particularly to less advantaged communities. Some communities in Northern Ireland believe they have not benefited from the Good Friday Agreement and, unfortunately, many people have not got the educational attainment or the skills they need. I have seen through my constituency work the value there is, perhaps for people who did not complete second level education, in getting a second chance, going on to further education and, sometimes, getting a pathway to higher education and good employment. We must drive that agenda North and South.

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