Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber to discuss this important Commencement matter. The reason I have raised the issue is the most recent census showed that in my county of Wexford, the proportion of people going to third level is 37%, which is 8% below the national average of 45%. Wexford has the fourth lowest level of third level education of all counties. The South East Technological University offers us an opportunity to have a technological university based in Wexford where we can work to help to bridge the deficit for the attainment of third level education. As the Minister of State will be aware, a compulsory purchase order, CPO, process is under way to acquire lands to develop a designated campus at Killeens in Wexford town for the university. I am aware that this matter is before the courts, so I do not intend to discuss the specific issue of the land.

We were told that the Higher Education Authority, HEA, was examining the business case for the provision of funding for an SETU campus in Wexford, with a decision likely to be taken in the first quarter of 2025. Is the Government committed to the delivery of a Wexford campus for the SETU at Killeens? Will the Minister of State provide an update on the business case and on whether a decision been taken? Given the current uncertainty surrounding the site and the fact that a case is before the courts, is it possible for the HEA to progress the business case for funding for the campus? It is important that we are fully briefed on the status of this project because, as the Minister of State is no doubt aware, once the business case is approved, we still have to go through the master plan, design, planning permission, tender and, ultimately, construction stages. She might give us a sense of how she sees this project progressing over the next few years.