Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the pathways point, the Deputy and I met a guy called Jack, whose story I tell everywhere I go. He got his first choice on the CAO and started his course, which, as is the case for many people, was not for him. He decided to leave that, returned to Cavan Institute and completed one year of pre-law there. He got a great grounding in law, decided it was for him and now he will start at Maynooth University in September studying for a law degree. That is what colleges of further education, such as that in Cavan, can do. We have to get them to parity and equity in terms of recognising their ability to transform lives.

On research, I fully agree with the Deputy. What the Taoiseach has done this week with the €40 million allocation will be potentially transformational. The scale of that funding will enable us to do much more on research on a North-South basis. The Deputy is correct; we are not starting from scratch. This can be a precursor to the delivery of all-island research centres, a key commitment of the Government. In regard to Magee College, we remain fully committed. We need clear proposals we can fund and we need to get on with funding it. I have had a number of meetings with Magee College in that regard.

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