Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when students of the Tipperary rural and business development institute will be able to attend classes at the proposed new campus at the Ballingarrane site in Clonmel. [23075/05]

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 429: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when the construction of a new Tipperary rural and business development institute campus at the Ballingarrane site in Clonmel will commence. [23078/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 429 together.

The report of the capital review and prioritisation working group under the Higher Education Authority, which was published last year, sets out a strategy to meet the future capital needs of the third level sector. In its submission to the review group, Tipperary rural and business development institute included a proposal to develop a permanent campus in the planned Clonmel technology park, Ballingarrane Estate. The report of the review group stated that the proposal, which involves the disposal of an existing property in Clonmel and the building of alternative facilities without incurring any Exchequer funding, has merit. My Department has recently given the Tipperary rural and business development institute approval to proceed with seeking expressions of interest from private sector property developers to determine exactly what could be provided at Ballingarrane in exchange for the institute's current property in Clonmel.