Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy's last point. I am fed up with the lecturing tone that is taken to farmers. They know better than most about the climate. They are out on their farms while we are talking about it in the Dáil. They can see the changes and want sustainability, as I heard at the National Ploughing Championships. Research is our friend as we seek to come up with innovative approaches. We are funding a number of research projects through Science Foundation Ireland. The Deputy is right that the technological universities are well placed to further accelerate that and to work in partnership with farmers. We need food and agriculture so we must consider how to do it in a sustainable way. I agree fully with the Deputy in that regard. I also congratulate Rosslare Europort.

We should take a step back and note we did not have a university in the south east not long ago and we now do. Many people, though not the Deputy, doubted we would ever get a university in the south east and we now have one. It is going pretty well. It is going well in respect of the leadership and the scale of ambition. It is going well in that the number of applications through the CAO was up this year compared with last year. However, I also fully accept that for the university to reach its full potential, it needs major capital investment, including a fit-for-purpose Wexford campus with student accommodation. Those are my next two priorities. I will focus on capital investment, the Waterford Crystal site, the Wexford campus site, the potential for a veterinary college and student accommodation. I will keep in touch with the Deputy on those matters.

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