Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have heard Senator Coffey's arguments. We have gone a long way on this road now. We have been talking about technological universities for many years. I believe the proposal was withdrawn in 2015. We went back to the drawing board. Since then, we have consulted all the various stakeholders. I have had heard the same message I have heard from Senator Coffey from Senator McFadden in respect of Athlone Institute of Technology. She wants to know why it cannot establish itself as a technological university. First of all, we need a critical mass to make sure standards are high with that critical mass. I do not have the exact numbers in front of me. For example, University College Dublin probably has approximately 20,000 students. The Dublin technological university will have approximately 28,000 students. The Munster technological university, which will comprise Cork and Kerry institutes of technology, will have 14,000 students.