Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt that South East Technological University and Kildalton will make all of the information known and it will become part of the course options available to young students as they complete their leaving certificate. It is an exciting opportunity and it is great to see it happening in a local area. It is prohibitively expensive for young people to go abroad to pursue their passion. We are now almost doubling the annual intake in veterinary, which is a great step forward.

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for her consistent backing of this. I know there was strong support from all of our Government colleagues. In the south east in particular, there was a cross-party and cross-county group chaired by Senator Malcolm Byrne, which Deputy Murnane O'Connor was a key driver of. It was a very strong effort. I am delighted to see it come to the point where a date has been set for the intake. It is an exciting and successful outcome for the south east, as well as the north west.

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