Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Money has been earmarked. The Deputy should please be impatient, because I am impatient. These ten projects are key to creating a unified tertiary system that will give Galway the last piece of the jigsaw - a traditional university, a technological university and a major modern further education and training college.

I accept the Deputy's point about the year. It has been less than three months since I made the announcement that Galway has been chosen. I was in GTI on that day. I was quite blown away by what they do, but the poor infrastructural quality was clear to me as well. Yes, the preliminary business cases need to be completed this year. The pace at which they are completed will be a matter for the ETBs. I say this directly to GRETB and all other ETBs that have been selected. Once we give them the template documents and the support and guidance, they are then empowered at a local level in the ETBs to get on with getting the best business case together as quickly as possible. The pace at which each of the ten projects move will depend on their ability to get their business case approved and their planning in place. I was very clear in Galway that day that these are projects that in their totality are four to five years from announcement to completion, but we need to sit on it to make sure it happens within that space. The year 2023 is the year of the preliminary business case. I will try to be more specific as to what stage it is at once that documentation issues and I have spoken to GRETB again.

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