David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

No. I assume Fianna Fáil will do so. I will allow them to do that, but I am happy the names of the three Sinn Féin Senators are being put to it.

I raise the issue of the technological university applications and put a question on that directly to the Leader of the House. As the Leader will know, Waterford IT and Carlow IT are putting forward a joint application for a technological university. It appears that the process is stalled and there are a number of difficulties. There is political support from all Oireachtas Members and Ministers from the south east. The Minister for Education and Skills and the Government are committed to a technological university for the region. We need it and it must happen. Unfortunately, there are forces within the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education and Skills who do not want it to happen. There are elements within the Department or the HEA who are frustrating progress.

There are reports that the process is stalled because both institutes will not be able to reach the very high benchmarks which have been set. I support the high benchmarks because it is important if we have new universities that they take their place among the top universities on the island and internationally. I have no difficult with that. There is a difficulty with the process, however, in terms of the different stages both institutes of technology are at. The Leader will know that it is a very important issue for the people of the south east. I am in no way saying this has anything to do with public representatives in the region who are absolutely united, but there are forces in either the HEA or the Department who do not want this to happen. They cannot win. They must be faced down and we need this to happen as quickly as possible. Can the Leader inform the House as to what is happening in that process? What is coming out into the public domain on the application currently is very worrying.