Technological Universities
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-30
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Emer Higgins (FG), Dublin Mid-West

I thank Senator Cathal Byrne for raising this important matter on behalf of his fellow constituents in Wexford and for requesting an update on the proposed new campus for South East Technological University in Wexford.
The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless, as the Senator noted, has previously acknowledged that the SETU campus infrastructure in Wexford is not suitable and that there is a need for a campus that will meet the needs of learners and teaching staff. On the recent visit to the SETU campus to which the Senator referred, where the Minister was welcomed, he announced that he had instructed SETU and Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board to work together to develop a new, innovative proposal which will deliver a new tertiary campus in Wexford town.
As the Senator said, this is an exciting educational opportunity. It will be transformative for learners in Wexford and marks an important step in a collaborative journey for SETU and Waterford and Wexford ETB. This tertiary campus will support learners to reach their full potential by creating pathways and removing barriers to access. It will give learners of all ages, as the Senator said when he spoke about a co-located facility, a place where they can progress, upskill, reskill and innovate without having to leave County Wexford.
I understand that a number of engagements have taken place between SETU and Waterford and Wexford ETB and work is ongoing on developing a business case proposal, which is expected to be submitted to the Higher Education Authority later this year for evaluation.
This project is being progressed under the Department's technological sector strategic projects programme. If the preliminary business case is successfully evaluated, it will then move on to the next stage of the process, which is pre-tender - project design, planning and procurement strategy stage. This is a key stage of development, where the proposal will be further refined, the design will be further advanced, and the procurement strategy and project execution plan will be developed.
I acknowledge the work done by Wexford County Council over recent years to identify an appropriate site for a permanent home for this fantastic Wexford campus. As part of this engagement, a preferred site was identified. Following a lengthy negotiation process between Wexford County Council and the vendor, agreement could not be reached on price.
Wexford County Council is now progressing the acquisition of a site totalling 48.5 acres by way of compulsory purchase order. The intention is that a proportion of this site will be used to facilitate a new Wexford campus for SETU and the remainder of the site will then be developed by Wexford County Council. Work on the CPO process remains ongoing by the council.
Funding requirements for the proposal will be informed by the relevant evaluation processes and funding availability in the context of the Department's overall capital budget. Specific funding has been set aside within the Department's budget towards the cost of the site.
The Minister has always been fully supportive of the need to expand the tertiary education footprint in the south east and the need for the stakeholders - SETU, Waterford and Wexford ETB and the local authority - to continue to work collaboratively to advance this ambition.
The Senator stated that this will be a flagship campus and he would like us to work together. To reiterate, the Minister is very happy to work with him and other stakeholders in the area, whether that is SETU, the ETB or the local authority, to ensure this project can develop as quickly as possible. I thank the Senator for his efforts in leading this drive.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:53+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-30