Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in his portfolio. I have not had the opportunity to speak to him since he was appointed.

It is fantastic news that the order for a new technological university in Munster has been signed, namely, the Munster Technological University, comprised of Tralee Institute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology. It is another statement of intent by this Government and the new Department which has been set up. The establishment of a third university in Munster is a real achievement for the area and brings huge possibilities.

This is one of the biggest statements the Government has made. When we look back and, hopefully, consider the successes of the Government, the Department of Health's actions in the context of Covid-19, for obvious reasons, and what has happened with Brexit, in respect of our immediate concerns as a country, will be included. In the long run, however, the decision to have a Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will be viewed as a significant change. We have focused on employment and work in the last ten years, obviously for the right reasons. Now is the right time to look at education, and both higher and, importantly, further education. I wish the Minister of State well in that endeavour in the years to come. It is an important task but he is certainly starting on a positive note.

I will focus most of my contribution on the announcement several weeks ago of the application by Limerick IT and Athlone IT for technological university status. It is another major development for the area, but particularly for my area of Tipperary. Many students in the county travel to Cork or Limerick to go to university. It will be phenomenal for regional towns like Thurles and Clonmel to have university campuses right on their doorsteps, which will be the position from 1 September 2021 onwards.Senator Burke referred to how this gives possibilities for those in regional areas to receive the highest quality education the country can provide in their own region. That just gives so many more opportunities.

I know the Minister of State, who is from a neighbouring county, is aware that Clonmel and Tipperary have been aligned with Limerick Institute of Technology, LIT, for many years. I encourage him to visit Clonmel when normality returns and to see the plans they have there. It is a real testament to where rural towns can go. As he is aware, the LIT campus is on the outskirts of the town, on the link road known as the Frank Drohan Road. With funding from the Government and plans in place, the old Kickham Barracks in Clonmel is being transformed into a new LIT and ETB campus right in the centre of the town. The Minister of State knows what such a project can do for a town and the businesses in the area - it totally transforms them. The project is an indication of where the Government is going in terms of the opportunities it wishes to give people in rural Ireland and the education it wishes to make available there. The project is being run in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and there are many positive steps going forward from it. At its nucleus is the provision of a university campus in the town of Clonmel. That is very significant and speaks volumes about where we are going in rural Ireland.

I wish the Minister of State well. He is always welcome across the border in Tipperary. I am happy to work with him going forward and I will support him in everything he and the Minister, Deputy Harris, do. I thank him for being here today.