Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to develop an outreach third level education centre in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27610/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In the State as a whole there are more than 20 publicly-funded higher education institutions, of which seven are universities and 14 are institutes of technology. In its review of Irish higher education published in 2004, the OECD observed that Irish third level institutions were relatively small by international standards and that this posed particular challenges in terms of achieving critical mass for academic provision, infrastructure, research and support mechanisms.

It is not possible to have a third level institution in every county and to ensure that each of these could achieve this critical mass. In view of the current level of third level provision nationally, and within close proximity to Wicklow, there are no plans to develop an outreach third level education centre in Wicklow.