John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will try to be as brief as possible. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him the very best in his new role. The establishment of the new Department is very welcome. It is a great step forward for the sector. In the face of Covid, it will probably be one of the most important Departments. Many people will require upskilling and retraining to fill the gaps that will exist in light of Covid-19. It is often when people are faced with adversity that they really see the opportunities that exist. Lifelong education and learning certainly present opportunities. As a secondary school educator, I wholly subscribe to this idea.

With regard to priorities for the Department, like my colleague from Wexford I would like the establishment of the technological university for the south east, specifically referred to by the Minister in his opening remarks, to be a top priority. I am not going to go into the long history of university designation for Waterford and the rest of the south east. Suffice it to say that it is important that the new Department and Government focus on it. To that end, I welcome yesterday's announcement by the joint presidents of Carlow and Waterford institutes of technology and the chairpersons that they are aiming to have designation by 1 January 2022. My view differs from theirs slightly regarding the date by which they seek to have an application with the Department, that is, by the summer of next year. I ask that, when the meeting takes place between the Minister, Deputy Harris, Mr. Boland, the presidents and chairmen, a buffer be built in at the front end so the application will be submitted by spring, just in case there are any difficulties in the adjudication process that might result in further delay.

I will leave it at that. It is really important for the young people and industries in the south east to have university designation. The south east is the only region in the country without university designation. It has to be a top priority for the Department.