Further and Higher Education
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Brendan Smith (FF), Cavan-Monaghan

As the title of the Minister's Department demonstrates, it has a very broad remit. Of course, education, research and innovation are the key elements in the bedrock of any economy. Importantly, I welcome the fact that the Minister is supporting further and higher education throughout the regions. When the late President Patrick Hillery, as a member of the Fianna Fáil Government in the 1960s, laid out the vision and strategy for the development of the regional technical colleges, it was always on the basis of bringing education to the regions and ensuring they would derive benefits and drive on the economy to eliminate the disparity in economic development that existed at national level at that time.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11