Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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2. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects specific capital funding to be allocated and announced to establish a new constituent campus in Wexford town for the Southeast Technological University; when the masterplan for the site will be published; when he expects SETU to have access to the new site and construction work on the new campus to begin; if he will outline the discussions he has had to date with the board of SETU and the HEA on the faculties to be sited in Wexford and when an announcement will be made on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56050/25]

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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Having regard to the firm commitments made to establish a new constituent campus in Wexford town for the Southeast Technological University, when does the Minister expect specific capital funding to be allocated and announced for this project? When will the masterplan for the site be published? When does he expect SETU to have access to the new site and construction work on the new campus to begin? Will he outline the discussions he has had to date with the board of SETU and the Higher Education Authority on the facilities to be sited in Wexford? When will an announcement will be made on this issue?

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Deputy subbing for Deputy Kenny?

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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No. It is about Wexford.

David Maxwell (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Yes. He is subbing for the Deputy.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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I apologise. I thought the Minister said Kilkenny.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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No, I know the difference between Wexford and Kilkenny very well and all too well from suffering at their hands for many years in Leinster finals.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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Absolutely.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I am a strong supporter of this project as I think and hope the Deputy and other Wexford stakeholder know. I share ambition of the region and Wexford town, in particular, to develop a customised significant third level campus in Wexford town. The educational needs, level of educational attainment, industrial base and the demographics all support that strongly. I am very much on board with that.

The proposal to develop that Wexford campus is being progressed under the technological sector strategic projects fund. It is a particular within the Department to assist the technological universities with putting together these types of proposals. On the engagement I have had on it, I met with the president, Professor Veronica Campbell, and the chair, Professor Patrick Prendergast, of SETU in July in my office in Government Buildings. I also met with the president, Professor Campbell, again in late August on the matter. I have had ongoing engagements with the HEA, both directly and through my officials. They will be ongoing. My message to all of them has been of encouragement and that I am keen to see this project move along through the different stages.

As the Deputy knows very well being on the ground, it has not always been straight forward. There has been a site identified by Wexford County Council. It is in the region of 48.5 acres. There was a proposal for the council to compulsory purchase order, CPO, that land. That became complicated. There were challenges to it. Those have thankfully fallen away through the court system. However, the latest is that a sum has to be agreed in terms of what the purchase price is going to be. That is ongoing. There is a risk that if it cannot be agreed, it could be referred to arbitration, but my understanding is that has not happened, and the negotiations are proceeding. I will not say that they are going well because I do not know. However, I have not been told that they are going badly. That is under way. I expect that to be completed in the near future.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Minister stated, the site at Killeens has been CPOed but is subject to an ongoing arbitration to agree a final price. While Wexford County Council can access the site immediately, it cannot give a sale price to SETU for its portion of the land until the arbitration process is concluded, which may take many months. This will give a further excuse to SETU to sit on its hands, claiming it can do nothing until all the issues on the site are resolved. It is imperative that the masterplan be concluded and published as soon as possible. The design and composition of the new buildings for the campus should proceed immediately and planning permission lodged with the council. It should be in a position to tender for the buildings as soon as planning permission is received. This will require a specific allocation of funding to the project by the Higher Education Authority from the Department of further and higher education. The Technological Universities Act 2018 was enacted specifically with the SETU in mind. Wexford is a central component of that. We have a facility in Wexford. We need a state-of-the-art new campus to fulfil the aspirations of that.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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SETU, in terms of technological universities, has received significant support from my Department. Most recently both Waterford and Carlow were included in bundle two of the PPP projects delivering significant additional learning spaces and physical buildings. The Deputy and I want Wexford to benefit from the same. The next stage of the process is for the notice of entry to enter onto the lands, which would give Wexford County Council the right to take possession of the site. Ordinarily that takes place after the compensation amount has been agreed - in other words, when the price has been agreed. It can then move to notice of entry. That allows it to go on site and begin to make further plans. I am told that SETU requires access to the site to finalise the masterplan. It said that without access to the site there is a limit to how far it can go with its detailed designs. It has a submitted a preliminary business case for the infrastructure, but it has caveated that by saying there is a need for it to go on site, enter the site and walk the land to get a better handle on it and finalise that. The next step of notice of entry rests with Wexford County Council. It may not wish to serve it until the price is agreed and things are finalised because it will become liable for interest from the minute it issues that.

I can understand why there might be some hesitation but if Wexford County Council moves that forward, then everything else begins to progress.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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There can be no hesitation at this stage. In 2015, ten years ago, the money was made available for the purchase of a site in Wexford town for the campus of the SETU. Wexford County Council can access the site as it stands. The only thing outstanding is the decision on the actual price of what is going to be sold to the SETU. It is imperative that this progress. The biggest county involved in the whole of the SETU process, County Wexford, with a population heading for in excess of 170,000 people, appears to be the one that is left behind consistently in the process of the establishment of the SETU. It is imperative that this Wexford campus be constructed as a matter of urgency. Any delay or hold-up that appears on the horizon seems to be seized upon and grasped by SETU. There are some fine people involved in this but I have to say progress has been less than satisfactory, if not tardy. I ask for the Minister's personal intervention in this. He is a proud Wexford man by birth. I ask for his intervention to ensure that this campus moves along as rapidly as possible and that the master plan is proceeded with.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I absolutely support the project and have made that very clear to the executive and all stakeholders. In terms of funding from my Department, we have a confirmed budget to purchase our part of the site. There is a masterplan for other things as well but certainly the funding is there for the educational piece. The business case is progressing. However, the decision on when to serve the notice of entry, which is what is causing the frustration and possibly the delays, is for Wexford County Council to make.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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I ask the Minister to intervene in that also.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has good offices in Wexford town himself. He has agency, a relationship with the county manager and so forth. I do not know how usual it would be for a Minister to engage with a local authority to ask it to accelerate a CPO process. It is probably better that I continue to work on the educational piece and local representatives like Deputy Lawlor can engage with the council. I agree that it needs to happen but I also understand that public money is at stake and the council needs to be satisfied with the finally agreed figure before it enters the site. It is in all of our interests to move this project forward as quickly as possible.