David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the application for a technological university for the south-east; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26709/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the statutory framework detailed in the Technological Universities Act 2018, it is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant Institutes of Technology participating in a TU development consortium to progress their plans and, when ready, to make an application to the Minister seeking the making of an order establishing a TU.

On 30 April 2021 I received such an application from the TUSEI consortium comprising the Institute of Technology Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology. Approval is subject to the applicant institutes meeting the eligibility criteria set out in the 2018 Act and the relevant requirements to which I must have regard under the Act in my role as legislative decision-maker on the application.

The making of this application is of itself a significant milestone for the TU agenda in the South-East after a journey of almost 10 years. I wish to thank all involved in the TUSEI consortium for bringing their proposals to this point in the legislative process.

I have directed the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQI) to make nominations to an advisory panel to assess the application. The advisory panel shall furnish a report to the HEA who will, in turn, assess the report, the panel’s recommendations thereon and any other relevant information and provide me with their views. These legislative requirements are set out in the Act together with their prescribed timeframes.

I will consider all relevant information prior to making my decision on the application in due course in accordance with the relevant legislative requirements and timeframes.

As the assessment and decision making process under the Act is now in train I am not at liberty to make any more detailed comments in relation to the application until the process is concluded.