Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of planned and allocated capital investment for the Carlow campus of the Technical University of the South-East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49805/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Should the application for Technological University designation be approved, the IT Carlow campus would become a campus of the Technological University of the South East.

Under the Higher Education Public Private Partnership - PPP - Programme, it is planned to deliver a Science and Health Building of more than 6,000 square metres on this campus. The building will include undergraduate and postgraduate science laboratories, general teaching space and learning resource space. In conjunction with decanted space elsewhere on campus, the new building is expected to increase the capacity of the institution by approximately 500 students.

The project is in Bundle 2 of the PPP Programme which is currently at procurement stage. Construction of this bundle is anticipated to commence in Q1 2023, with the IT Carlow Science and Health Building due to be completed in Q1 2025.

In addition to this PPP project, €440,000 in capital funding was approved earlier this year under the Higher Education Infrastructure Upgrade and Refurbishment Fund. This is for an upgrade of IT Carlow's primary electrical infrastructure on its main campus.

IT Carlow is also receiving a devolved capital grant of over €1.7 million this year to support small-scale building works, including health and safety works, access works, refurbishment and energy upgrades. This grant can also be used for equipment purchase and ICT investments.

In addition IT Carlow has been approved to acquire suitable lands in Wexford town to facilitate the development of a new campus there. The execution of these plans is a priority for me having regard to IT Carlow's geographic reach and the crucial regional dimension to our technological universities.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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17. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress of delivery of technical university status; the details in relation to Dundalk Institute of Technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49878/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It’s important to say at the outset that it is very much a matter for the governing bodies of autonomous Institutes of Technology to choose their own strategic direction in the higher education landscape.

There have been very significant steps made by Dundalk Institute of Technology in this regard, which I welcome.

DkIT has published its vision to become a dynamic, accessible, student-centred campus of a multi-campus regional TU. This marks meaningful progress on the proposed trajectory towards achieving TU status, enabling staff, students and wider stakeholders to be assured of the direction of travel. Furthermore, they have established a Project Steering Group and an operational project group, which will be important in driving on developments.

DkIT is being assisted in this area by the Higher Education Authority. This includes funding under the Transformation Fund. It also includes technical advice and support from a highly respected HEA special advisor on higher education policy, Dr. Ruaidhri Neavyn, who continues to assist the Institute as an external advisor.

On 8 September the HEA announced the second tranche of transformation fund allocations, bringing to €60m the level of Exchequer support through the fund since 2020. While DkIT has made significant progress in advancing its TU ambitions, it still has funding available from its 2020 transformation allocation. However, should further funding be required in 2022 it can of course engage further with the HEA.

I can assure the Deputy of my and my Department’s continued support and the continued assistance of the HEA for DkIT to make progress towards achieving TU designation in due course.