Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I have told the Minister, Dundalk Institute of Technology is an integral part of the north east. It was established in 1971 and has 6,000 students and 500 staff, as I mentioned. The institute now needs to be part of the TU project. The Minister said there was a problem. If there is a problem, I would appreciate it if he and the Department would sort it out because, at the end of the day, the people who are losing out are the students, their parents and the prospective students. I really urge the Minister to get involved. As I said, the institute was at the top of the list four years ago but, all of a sudden, it is not on the list at all. There are three grades. The institute seems to be at the bottom, in the third grade. I plead with the Minister. We are in a Border area in the north east. It is a big thing that 80% of the students attending the college are the first generation of their family to do so. This means that people who do not normally get an opportunity to attend college are getting an opportunity. I appeal to the Minister to come down and talk to those in Dundalk Institute of Technology. I know he has put projects and so on in place but we need his help to get into a TU.

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