Third Level Education
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-09
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James Lawless (FF), Kildare North

I welcome the opportunity to address this matter in the House. There has been a great deal of commentary about Carlow College and SETU since the announcement was made two weeks ago, although some of the central facts have been lost. I do not blame the Senator for that but it is important to recognise that the reality of this matter is actually far from how it is being represented in the media and elsewhere.
Carlow College came to Government seeking assistance. The institution had been operating at a deficit for several years. Its financial position had become unsustainable and, without an intervention, there was a very real risk the college would simply cease operations. If that had happened, students would have faced uncertainty about completing their courses, staff would have been left bereft, without any structural protections, and the future educational use of the campus would have been far from guaranteed. I hope the House will agree that this would have been an appalling vista. It is a scenario the Government set out to avoid. It is a scenario, that I, supported by colleagues in government, including the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, and with credit to the sterling work of the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, have succeeded in avoiding. Since that time, my Department has already provided in excess of €2.5 million in additional supports to Carlow College at its request. This is over and above funding provided through the student supports and fee payments. We did so because protecting learners and maintaining higher education in Carlow matters greatly to me and the Government.
Since being appointed as Minister I have engaged extensively on this issue. I have met representatives of Carlow College on at least three occasions, including a visit to the campus during my first month as Minister. I have also met them here in Leinster House and in Government Buildings on a number of occasions. I have met representatives of SETU separately on site and in this House. I have gladly participated in every meeting I have been invited to attend and have proactively arranged more meetings to ensure that this matter receives significant, high-level attention.
In addition to all of those meetings, I convened a dedicated working group involving representatives from both institutions, together with a State-appointed independent mediator. This group has also met on multiple occasions and has jointly produced the roadmap that has now been freely agreed to by both institutions and endorsed by both of their respective governing authorities.
Since Carlow College first approached the State in 2022 seeking support we have engaged constructively and responsibly. The college started out and remains, until this is finalised, a privately owned, church-operated college outside the State system. The ongoing work is to allow it to transition into the wider SETU framework. The roadmap is one that has been requested jointly, then negotiated, and subsequently endorsed by both colleges. The engagement has been guided by four primary objectives: to protect the interests of Carlow College students to ensure the completion of their programmes; to ensure clear, fair and transparent treatment of staff; to secure the future educational use of the campus in Carlow town; and to protect the heritage and legacy of Carlow College, recognising its contribution to education in the south east over many generations. The solution arrived at is one that safeguards current students, secures the long-term future of the campus and ensures the building will remain in educational use. It provides a pathway for staff to be treated fairly through agreed redundancy arrangements, with redeployment opportunities where possible, and through engagement as is appropriate with the representative bodies, including the trade unions, which my officials are already doing.
The fact is that the Government stepped in to prevent a disorderly collapse and replaced uncertainty, fear and doubt with a structured and sustainable future. The teach-out arrangement has been agreed between the two colleges and will work through to 2028. The overriding priority is that all current students will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned. If we had not taken decisive action and engaged extensively over the past 18 months or more, all parties would be in a far worse position today.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09