Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)

I was the first person in my family to go to university and this is something I am incredibly proud of. Being able to access third level education had a transformative impact on my life. I am the living proof of the impact third level education can have. The transformative potential of third level education should be available to every single person. Every young person should have the chance I had. However, students in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West are stuck in their parents' back bedrooms. They cannot move out. They cannot afford to rent in Dublin city or anywhere else in the State they might get a place to study. There are no third level institutions in my constituency. Students have to commute long distances. For example, if you live in Balbriggan, it will take you up to two hours to get to UCD each way. That is four hours per day, and exactly as the Minister referenced that means you cannot fully participate in student life, and you spend all of your time absolutely exhausted. Fingal County Council has identified skills shortages in the areas of agrifood, digitisation, life sciences, logistics and fintech but Dublin Fingal West, one of the youngest constituencies in the State, does not have a third level institution. I would appreciate if the Minister, in his concluding remarks, would address this fact. The students in my constituency are the victims of the Government's housing crisis. They are now the victims of its increased fares, so not only do they have to commute long distances, which absolutely wrecks them, they also have to pay more for the privilege. This is something that should be addressed.

I will say a few words about Kay, the supercomputer, which was decommissioned by the Minister's party when in government in 2023. This piece of infrastructure is essential if we are serious about research and development. If you talk to people in the research, development and innovation space, they will tell you exactly that. Is the strategy the Minister referred to in his remarks is intended to augment or replace access to a supercomputer? Having to go abroad for it is not ideal, as I am sure he appreciates. Are we to expect a replacement for Kay, or is there something else in the pipeline? He might clarify that.

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