Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. This is technically a Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science issue, but this project incorporates the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as well.

Kickham Barracks was closed in 2014 and since then a plan has been put forward by Tipperary County Council to revitalise the town of Clonmel. Kickham Barracks plays a key role in that. It was successful in its first phase of funding, which will be completed in the next month. That is the open plaza area connecting the Showgrounds Shopping Centre to Parnell Street. It is looking fantastic and, once opened and all the lights are on, it will be a wonderful amenity.

The council put together an ambitious €50 million plan under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, a year ago. My colleague, Councillor Michael Murphy, was influential in pushing that forward with the council. Last year, that application was unsuccessful. Some Oireachtas colleagues said it was a disaster and a waste of time. One Government Deputy blamed the application and said it was not up to standard. None of that was true. The main reason the application was not successful, rightly so from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was that there is a major educational development on the campus of Kickham Barracks and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science needs to play a role in financing it.

In the last year, I have been dealing with the Minister, Deputy Harris. He has been in Kickham Barracks, as have the Minister of State present, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister, Deputy Coveney. We have had almost every senior and influential Minister visit the barracks in the last year. We have outlined what we have tried to do to get the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to support it.

An application has been put forward by Tipperary Education and Training Board, ETB, in collaboration with the Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, to build a giant campus for higher and further education. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has been talking for as long as he has been Minister for higher education about changing the stigma between further education and higher education and creating joint campuses so students are together, whether they are in higher or further education.

Kickham Barracks and a similar site in Mullingar are perfect examples of what we are trying to create in terms of joint campuses on one site. This has the ability to revitalise the town but we need funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is in a process at the moment. I know many applications have gone in. I think there are about 30 applications across the country. Few will be successful but this is a massive priority for a town that is very dependent on foreign direct investment and lucky with the type of jobs and job creation we have. However, an area of the town, particularly the town centre, needs to be revitalised. Kickham Barracks plays a key role in that.

The funding the Minister of State and his Department provided a number of years ago and that the former Minister, Eoghan Murphy, committed to was the first phase of that. It would be an awful shame if the first phase was completed and nothing happened after that. We have a new sports hub on the Clonmel bypass. TUS is meant to come in to Kickham Barracks from where that sports hub is to be built but we need to get this over the line. It is a multimillion euro investment from the Department of higher education, if it is willing to commit to it. My fear is the applications are opening soon for the URDF funding and we need this money in before we can apply for that.