Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor. First, I congratulate the Deputy and all in the south east on the very successful outcome, which is wonderful news for the region. I know it is something for which she worked very hard with her colleagues and on which we had a lot of engagement. The news has been wonderfully well received in the north west as it has in the south east. It is exciting news indeed. It is a real vote of confidence in our agriculture sector in the south east, in the region and also in the technological university sector. It is a wonderful achievement for SETU with Kildalton College, which has a wonderful reputation as a Teagasc college, now very much at the centre of veterinary medicine education into the future.

I was really delighted to hear the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, make the announcement, which the Deputy attended at the National Ploughing Championships, that this course will be provided will be at that location. There will be 80 new veterinary places annually: 40 for the South East Technological University at Kildalton College and 40 for the Atlantic Technological University at the Letterkenny and Mountbellew campuses. That will mean a full capacity. It is a five-year course. At full capacity there will be 200 veterinary students studying at SETU and at Kildalton College. This has been made possible through a joint capital investment of €25 million from my Department and €25 million from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is unusual for capital funding to be provided outside the Department of further education. Normally, it is entirely funded through that Department but given the absolute importance of needing new veterinary places in the country, I agreed to partner on the capital funding and provide €25 million to be able to deliver these new veterinary places. Until now, we have only ever had one veterinary college on the island, which is the top-class college in UCD with 90 places a year. Now we are adding to those places with a further 80 places a year between the locations I mentioned. I hope going forward it means the many of the young people who have a great passion for pursuing a veterinary career, approximately 100 of whom have been going abroad, particularly to eastern Europe, to pursue their education annually, will now be able to pursue that education not only in our country but in their home regions, particularly in the south east.

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