Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I very warmly welcome the Minister's confirmation that progress is being made with this very important project for our constituency, as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy David Maxwell, will know. I hope the Minister will be in a position to visit Cavan Institute at an early date, and to visit Monaghan Institute. Cavan Institute been a very successful institute since its establishment. I was very much involved with the Cavan Institute in its early days. I was the first chair of the board of management of the college. I was also very much involved in getting the original building on Cathedral Road, which is no longer adequate due to increased enrolments over the years. Cavan Institute was the first dedicated post-leaving certificate college in the country. It has developed collaborations with colleges north of the Border too, which is very important.

As the Minister outlined in his reply, the institute needs additional permanent accommodation. I am very glad that there will be such a range of classroom and other ancillary accommodation, plus sports facilities. I hope SOLAS will be able to drive this capital programme forward as urgently as possible. I am delighted the Minister has secured from the Department of public expenditure additional funding to bolster the capital budget. I know the work of the Cavan-Monaghan ETB, which the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach will know also, and this funding would be put to very good use.

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