Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question and for her passionate advocacy, to put it mildly, on Carlow College, St. Patrick's and all things Carlow. I always welcome working with her on these projects and I look forward to us delivering a technological university for the south east in 2022.

As the Deputy knows, Carlow College, St. Patrick's is a privately run education institution operating outside the publicly funded higher education system. At the Deputy's request, I have met the leadership there, including the president, Fr. Conn Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, and I thank them for all their doing and for their commitment to education. Following that engagement between the college and my Department, I met the college principals at their request on 17 August. We are putting a process in place with them so they can analyse and be best prepared to see what role they can play in the context of the new technological university. I understand the college is in the process of appointing an expert to carry out that work. I look forward to visiting Carlow College, St. Patrick's with the Deputy in November. That will be an opportunity for us to progress matters.

See this speech in context