Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I give the Deputy that absolute assurance but, in all honesty, this Oireachtas has not given me any legal powers to create a technological university or to compel an institute of technology to become a technological university without somebody applying for that to happen, that body being an autonomous higher education institution. However, I am delighted that Dundalk Institute of Technology has indicated in both its strategic plan and its engagement with the Higher Education Authority that it now has a clear intent to grasp the opportunity provided by the Technological Universities Act to further advance its contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of the north east. To this end, all stakeholders in the institute of technology support the governing body's ambition to become a significant campus of a multi-campus regional technological university as soon as possible.

The HEA, my Department and I are supportive of these ambitions. In this regard, we have funded a special expert adviser to assist Dundalk Institute of Technology in its endeavours. I am also delighted to say that it has made significant progress in achieving its ambitions, including through the establishment of a Dundalk Institute of Technology technological university, TU, project group, a TU project steering group of the governing authority and a technological university transformation fund operational project group. It has also secured funding of €2 million from the HEA to assist it in this regard. We are fully committed to working with the institute on this matter.

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