Elisha McCallion (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Notwithstanding what my colleague has said about us opposing the Bill as presented today, I can do the maths and I acknowledge that it is highly unlikely that our opinion will carry. On that note, I call on the proposed new Minister with responsibility for the potential new Department to meet representatives of the north-west Cross-border further and higher education cluster that was established a few years ago as a matter of urgency, to show where the Government stands on its commitment to the expansion of the Magee campus of Ulster University, as outlined in the New Decade, New Approach document. The Magee campus should be to Derry what UCD and Trinity College Dublin are to Dublin, but unfortunately, at this point in time, it is not. It is well documented that the Magee campus is in need of significant investment in order to expand to a university that is fit for purpose and of the right size and scale for the people of the wider north-west. Over recent years, the people of Derry and the north west have developed ambitious plans for the region, but key to these plans is the expansion of the university and key to that expansion are science, research and innovation. I acknowledge the previous Government's commitment to support the expansion of the university, which was set out in the New Decade, New Approach document. I also extend my thanks to the Executive in the North and the British Government for the support that enabled the establishment of a medical school on the Magee campus. That is a welcome first step but it is only a first step. We are seeking the overall expansion of the Magee campus. I also note this Government's commitment to a university in the north west in the programme for Government. With that in mind, I ask the potential new Minister to meet the staff of Ulster University to start putting some meat on the bones as to where the Government stands on the expansion of the Magee campus. I also ask that Ulster University be part of any potential new advisory groups established by the new Department.