John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to the House and thank him for taking this Commencement matter in person. I wish to acknowledge the interest and determination of the Minister in ensuring that Waterford and the south-east region finally achieve the long-held ambition to have a university of international standing.

I wish to put some statistics on the record of the House to assist me in making my case. According to the latest data available from the Higher Education Authority, Waterford Institute of Technology has 6,634 full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students, while Institute of Technology Carlow has 4,454. The budgets and full-time staff at WIT are essentially double that of IT Carlow owing to the relative size of both institutes. WIT is part of six Science Foundation Ireland networks and recent EU Commission data shows that WIT has attracted more research funding from the EU in the area of information and communications technology than all other institutes of technology combined, and more than many Irish universities under Horizon 2020.

I mention these statistics not in any way to discredit the fantastic work that the staff at IT Carlow do but to emphasise that the headquarters of the new university should be located in the area that has the critical mass of full-time students and, more important, in one of the four areas which the national planning framework has identified for targeted ambitious growth of at least 50% out to 2040.In fact, the national planning framework specifically says that failure to address the economic underperformance of the south east and accelerated growth of Waterford city would have negative consequences that would further add to growth pressures within the Dublin region.

As the Minister knows from the several meetings we have had in recent weeks, there has been a lot of rumour and speculation circulating regarding the headquarters issue, the source and purpose of which I am unsure of. However, the assertion by some that the headquarters for the new TU will be in Kilkenny has been unhelpful to the process, and I ask the Minister to clarify that this will not be the case. I ask for this clarity not as a parochial request. This is a regional issue and anyone who looks at my record since my time as chairman of the regional authority in 2010 will see that I have always been a regional advocate and I firmly believe that any investment in the region greatly adds to our attractiveness and our offer. That option needs to be taken off the table because it has caused a great deal of anxiety among staff at WIT and I am acutely aware, as the Minister will be also, that they will be voting on a revised memorandum of understanding soon.

It is important to state that the vast majority of Oireachtas Members in the south east have the desire and ambition to deliver a multi-campus university of international standing in our region, and I know the Minister is also firmly committed to that goal. However, I am sure he will also agree that to get there and to grow student numbers, not just in Waterford but across the region, it will require significant capital investment. As the Minister knows, I have been engaged with stakeholders over recent months regarding the very exciting prospect of an expanded Waterford campus on the Cork Road. I would like some assurances from him regarding the commitment of his Department to the purchase and development of this site and its inclusion in the capital plan as well as his willingness to use innovative solutions to see work carried out in the short term.

Regarding the appointment process for the new president, chairperson and governing body of the proposed new university, I would appreciate it if the Minister could outline at what point this new board will come into play, should the application proceed as planned, and what process will be used to determine the individuals who will sit on the governing body and who will appoint same.

I again thank the Minister for his attendance here this morning. I would appreciate clarifications and reassurance from him on this very important issue for Waterford and the south east.