John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I did turn out well. I graduated in May 2002 and in July I was elected to this House. I want to commend the record of the institutes of technology and the work they have done over the years in different parts of the country. There is an institute of technology in my Carlow constituency, a thriving institution like the Waterford Institute of Technology.

I wish to refer to what the Leader said about the status of the institutes. WIT has made an application to be upgraded to university status and there are justifiable reasons for that status to be sought. It is worthwhile examining economic indicators and third level attendance indicators in the south-east region. They will show that the region has the lowest rate of third level attendance in the country. It also has the highest unemployment rate, to my knowledge, outside Donegal. These issues are not unrelated to the fact that it is the only region that does not have a university. I take on board Senator O'Rourke's comments and recognise there is a necessity that the binary system remain. The universities and institutes of technology have complementary roles. I support WIT's application for university status and feel a university would be beneficial to the south-east region. WIT is the only institution in the region seeking this status.

In my own experience, staff in the institutes of technology tend to be more flexible and responsive to the needs of students and industry than staff in universities, who may adopt a more traditional approach. Senator O'Rourke spoke earlier on links with industry and I agree with her point. There are clear links between leading local industries and the institutes of technology in Waterford and Carlow. These links should be fostered and developed.

Senator Quinn spoke about parity of esteem between universities and institutes of technology and I agree with him. This parity of esteem has not yet been attained and this is something that needs to be addressed. There tends to be more student-focused education in the institutes of technology. Often universities are more traditional in how they approach issues and more formulaic in dealing with them.

I welcome the Bill and urge the Minister for Education and Science to strongly consider the submission she has received from WIT. Some say a university in Waterford would have a negative impact on the Carlow Institute of Technology but I do not think that would be the case. In fact, I believe the exact opposite would be the case — it would benefit and feed off a university located in Waterford. Whatever the Minister decides in the case of WIT, the economic indicators I mentioned suggest the region needs a university. I do not suggest this should happen immediately, but the Department of Education and Science should consider it seriously.