Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I join with other Senators in welcoming the Bill and in welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, to the House. I welcome that all of the institutes of technology will come under the umbrella of the Higher Education Authority, which is timely and could not happen quickly enough, as I learned from speaking to staff at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, LYIT, who also welcome the measure. To be parochial, LYIT also welcomes that Killybegs will have functional linkage with the institute, which may set a precedent in the consideration of satellite and outreach facilities as opposed to having a critical mass centrally located in a particular building or centre.

LYIT is also bridging out into north Inishowen, where courses are available at Serenity House in Moville through a satellite link. Outreach possibilities exist and it is important they are further explored. As Inishowen is larger than County Louth in land area, we should consider a permanent functional centre there, such as that at Killybegs. There has been a severe haemorrhage of jobs in the region in the past ten to 15 years and many highly educated, articulate and qualified local people feel there is a constant brain drain from the peninsula.

There are constant references to the fact that merely having LYIT centred in Letterkenny creates a critical mass of intelligence and knowledge, which attracts industry. The prime example of this in Letterkenny is the American company, Primerica, which is successfully operating in the area. Its chief executive officer repeatedly states that the company was attracted to the area by the availability of the highly educated workforce in Letterkenny, which was produced by the institute of technology.

The people of Inishowen constantly suggest that some sort of permanent third level educational infrastructure should be established in the peninsula, perhaps acting as a bridge between the University of Ulster, Magee Campus in Derry and LYIT. This could be explored on a cross-Border basis, specific to the needs identified in Inishowen, given the brain drain and the haemorrhage of jobs. The current buzz words refer to cross-Border relationships and interrelationships. We should consider some sort of permanent educational infrastructure in the Inishowen peninsula, possibly in Buncrana.

I agree with Senator O'Toole that we must seek added-value jobs. We cannot ignore the fact our economy will not be sustainable if it continues to create call centres and expand the low skill sector. We must consider high value, high-tech, value-added jobs, for which opportunities exist in locations like Inishowen.

As to the HEA becoming an umbrella organisation for the institutes of technology, I would like to emphasise the issue of disability. Statistics are available on the low take-up of third level places by people with disabilities and we cannot ignore them. We must encourage the inclusion or participation of disabled people. The internal postman in Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Mr. Raymond Gillespie, is confined to a wheelchair and this sends a positive signal in the educational establishment, is a symbolic feature of the college and is something to which we should aspire.

The Minister mentioned that the title of directors will be "director", but said there will be a choice whether they will be called president or director. I take it that each institution will make that choice.

County Donegal has a 144 km geographical tie to Northern Ireland. LYIT services a large land mass and is the only third level institution serving that population base. With the manufacturing sector under so much pressure, Donegal is going through a significant transformation in direction regarding industry and jobs. The future for places such as Donegal is that education will provide the primary blocks of any future sustainable job. There is a worry in Donegal that we are too reliant on the construction industry. That is a feature of everyday life. While we still have high unemployment in Donegal, the construction and service industries have the monopoly on jobs. We should think in the long term and any investment that can go to a college such as LYIT should go there. It has the capacity and the degree programmes, including general nursing, business and electronic and manufacturing engineering. It has the capacity and potential to serve the educational needs of Donegal and to serve as a centre for the creation of a critical mass of knowledge and skills to attract sustainable, value-added jobs to the county.

I would like to put on record the need for more emphasis on the IT sector in Letterkenny. I mentioned Primerica. LYIT has advanced singularly in producing a highly-educated IT skills base. We should go a step further. We must create the necessary infrastructure. We should seek solid linkages between LYIT and the Magee Campus of the University of Ulster in Derry. We have numerous examples of cross-Border associations and we are examining cross-Border roads infrastructure. People talk about potential cross-Border rail infrastructure between Derry and Donegal. There is potential for cross-Border health liaisons between Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry and Letterkenny General Hospital. We must seek cross-Border co-operation in education. It happens from an industry point of view. A large percentage of people working in Primerica in Letterkenny come from Derry. Likewise a large percentage of the Donegal workforce goes across the Border to Derry. From an educational point of view we should examine concrete parameters whereby we could underpin solid proposals between Magee Campus and LYIT. It happens, but we spend too much time talking about cross-Border linkages. The poverty industry has seen cross-Border activity. It is an opportunity where we could have something tangible, concrete and sustainable.