Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important to point out as well that there was a devolved grant scheme, which was administered by SOLAS but came from the Department, of just over €8 million from which the Cavan and Monaghan ETB benefited to the tune of under €500,000. It is small money in the overall context, but it is certainly an awful lot of money when you are looking for it. It is a lot of money in terms of making sure the basic infrastructure requirements that are needed for the trainees and the employers to whom Deputy Smith refers can be met in the short and immediate term. The challenge now will be to make sure the business case is advanced and prioritised as quickly as possible and that we can turn it around. We have a capital budget that we never had before. These are the types of places, particularly in regional and rural locations, where people will receive tertiary education. That is why rural towns like Cavan and Monaghan are the places I would like to see prioritised during my tenure in this Department.

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