Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am not at all surprised that the likes of SETU has provided something that has proved to be independently viable. Waterford Institute of Technology, as it was, had to punch above its weight for years. It was forced to do so and to behave as though it was the university for the south east because it effectively was. I am delighted to see that ambition remaining under the new configuration and management. It is vital for the region. Some 600,000 people live within a one-hour drive of Waterford. That figure relates only to the Waterford campus and does not take account of the number of people who would rely on the Carlow campus or the new Wexford campus, which is under development. There is a strong case to be made for this type of investment. It is exactly the kind of driver we need for SETU to allow it to take a great step forward and provide for the needs of the young people in the region. The capital investment that would be attendant on the development of a new school of this type, either in farming or veterinary, would be hugely significant for the university.

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