National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Paul Daly (FF), Agricultural Panel

I welcome the Minister. When I saw the comprehensive army he brought with him from Naas, I was glad that we are on the same team and that I was not going to take him to task. I warmly welcome the Bill. We have discussed it at length among ourselves, within our group and whatever. It is a no-brainer.
When it was announced first that I and Senator Ryan were going to be the Fianna Fáil representatives on the higher education committee, we had numerous requests from stakeholders for meetings and we met them together. There was one common theme throughout and it was how facilities had fallen so far behind and had not kept up with the advances in technology. They were facilitating research and development on materials, ideas and equipment that was never dreamt of when the facilities that they were working from were built and developed. That was their one big ask, that we could try and get facilities up to the required standard for today.
As I say, I and Limerick's Senator Ryan have worked well together. I have, however, to call the Senator to task here this morning on one issue. While she was complimentary, and rightly so, on TUS, she did not mention the jewel in the crown, which is that formerly known as Athlone Institute of Technology.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:27+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11