Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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39. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to expand the Wexford branch of the Institute of Technology Carlow or to establish a new institute of technology in County Wexford, in order to deliver greater educational and training opportunities to students in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16541/17]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Wexford has one of the highest rates of people with no primary education, at 18.5%, and there is a secondary school accommodation crisis even though we are building two schools at the moment. Some 21% of the population of Wexford have completed third level education, the joint second lowest rate in the country, lower than the average for the south east of 23% and far lower than the State average of 29%. Does the Minister not think it would be a good idea to put a third level institution in Wexford?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Institute of Technology Carlow already has a Wexford campus, based in Wexford Town, which offers an extensive range of award qualifications from level 6 through to postgraduate level 9 on the national framework of qualifications.

My Department is also supportive of the proposed acquisition of a site in Wexford for development of the IT Carlow campus.  Funding has been allocated to enable IT Carlow to acquire this site in that context, with a view to developing a new purpose-built campus there.  The Higher Education Authority has approved this site acquisition on that basis.

There are also plans in place for the development of a technological university for the whole south east region consisting of a consortium involving IT Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology. The Kelly report on the development of a technological university for the south east presented a compelling rationale for a new type of higher education institution to support a step change in the economic and social development of the entire south east region.  This is clearly the overwhelming wish of stakeholders in the region.

By creating institutions of greater scale and strength, high-quality multi-campus technological universities will be able to bring greater social and economic benefits to their respective regions through the delivery of a broad range of high-quality education and training in each of their campuses. The core elements of a new technological university in the south east have been already set out.

In relation to the legislation to underpin the development of technological universities, the legislative programme was published on 17 January 2017 and the Technological Universities Bill is listed on the Dáil Order Paper and awaiting Committee Stage.

Following the finalisation of the ongoing consultation process I will then advance the legislation, having determined a position in relation to any matters raised.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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There is confusion as between the south east and Wexford because they are two different areas. The south east is probably one of the more deprived regions in the country but Wexford is the most deprived county in the south east. According to the Department's projection, there will be an increase of some 57,000 students seeking full-time education soon, which does not take into account part-time demand or attracting more international students. This is equivalent to four DCUs. Waterford and Carlow have been fighting over which of them should become a university but there is a good argument for starting anew in Wexford. It is an incredibly deprived county with 18.5% on the live register, which is shocking when compared to the national figure. Education is a way out of this and putting a new third level institution in Wexford would make a lot of sense in this context.

Nothing comes cheap but the costs of construction are not the biggest costs. The biggest costs are running it on a day-to-day basis so there is a good argument for putting it in Wexford. I know the national strategy does not think along those lines but that does not mean the Minister should not take a broader view.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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We have to look at what is the most effective way to develop regional strength. I regard human resource and talent development as core to the development of any region, including the south east. Any fair assessment would advise against creating myriad new institutions that do not have a solid foundation and cannot make a solid offering. This is from where the technological universities approach came. It is about merging a number of institutions under one body that can give the strength, width and depth that modern regional development needs. We need to move more into applied research and need more level 9 and 10 qualifications, as well as a deeper engagement with the enterprise and public service sectors to develop genuine regional competitive advantage. This approach does not involve "one for everyone in the audience" but tries to create a model that can bring a region to a higher level. This is important from the point of view of regional development because we cannot plan to have a university in every one of our 26 counties. We have to build on resources that will be strong and resilient and will deliver the quality service we need in the regions. Technological universities require mergers and multi-campus locations.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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I am aware of the thinking of the day. The national strategy for higher education report of 2011 stated that any such move would reduce the diversity in the overall system and have a negative impact on its ability to respond to the country's innovation needs and development opportunities. I wonder if this thinking is driven by university league tables. The thinking the Minister is offering delivers an outcome in which the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Wexford needs to play catch-up but it is falling further behind all the time. As long as the philosophy of the Minister is applied we will fall further behind. We will be in a worse situation in ten years' time unless there is a change of thinking. There is a really good, rational argument for thinking outside the box and looking at areas that need more help. The primary obligation of a State should be to take best care of those who most need its help, whether they be deprived communities or regions. Wexford is among the three most deprived counties in Ireland, with the county of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Donegal, also in the top three. Unless there is joined-up thinking on the part of the Government we will continue to lag behind and will not close the gap. The inequality gap will actually widen.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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We are offering joined-up thinking, while the Deputy is offering traditional pork barrel politics by asking for a university in every county. If we have small institutions that cannot deliver the service their regional base needs it will produce a second-class offering to the people, including in Wexford. I am trying to create a quality regional institution, a technological university, that can have the necessary research, progression and innovation capability to be a genuine support to regional diversity and development.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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All the work is in Dublin. There is no work in rural areas.