Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

It shows that we have all had some sort of involvement. Whatever it was, in light of the debate that has taken place here tonight, we can all claim due credit in some way for part of the development of the Dublin Institute of Technology. Everyone in this House recognises the role it plays and the challenge before it when based on a single site, when it can deliver even more for the local community with the outward-looking campus it intends to have.

There were some debates not central to the legislation but clearly of interest regarding "to be or not to be" a university, to consult at length or not to consult, and the role of the local community. All of these are valid issues for debate, including the Seanad representation, the votes in the Seanad elections and so on. It is the joy of Second Stage legislation that one gets to discuss all these issues without having to deal with any of them. When it comes to Committee Stage, there may be specific issues of interest to people.

Senator Ulick Burke asked at the outset whether the agency would continue to manage the site, and how that would relate to the bodies which will be using it. Once the site is fully developed, the agency will be dissolved, and the buildings will be vested in the relevant body according as they are ready. Accordingly, the agency will not interfere in any way with the management of the Dublin Institute of Technology or with the Health Service Executive and its role there.

Regarding the development of the building projects, Senator Burke adverted to the Cork School of Music. One could on the other hand look at the National Maritime College in Cork to see how it became successful so quickly. The development of all the buildings will be done through the agency and the National Development Finance Agency. By then we will have perfected various methods of the delivery of projects.

This will be a major investment and the development will take a number of years. The first step lies in setting up the agency. I do not know who first had the idea of this development but I know who is driving it. It is not the Minister for Education and Science, much as I would like to claim credit for it. The person driving it is, undoubtedly, the Taoiseach. He has taken a personal interest in it from the outset and is anxious it goes forward. If one needs somebody on one's side, the best person to have is the Taoiseach. Therefore, we can have great optimism that the legislation will not just pass through the House, but will set up the agency with a view to moving quickly towards the development of the site, which is the main interest of the staff members of the DIT who are here and who followed the legislation, word for word, through the Dáil.

We accepted a number of amendments in the Dáil and when we get to Committee and Report Stages here, I will be happy to accept any amendments that add to the legislation and to what, ultimately, will be an exciting development, not just for education but for the city of Dublin.