I absolutely will. I assure the Deputy of that. Four big things are going on as regards education in Kerry. We have a university, with the Munster Technological University campus in Tralee. We turned the sod on a major new STEM building there only a few months ago, where there are huge opportunities. We also want to see student accommodation developed in Tralee. I spoke to the president, Professor Maggie Cusack, regarding that. The Pretty Polly project is under way in Killarney, which is now a big presence, that wi…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Of course, our universities need to operate under the law, as does everybody else. We brought in rent pressure zones, RPZs, which universities are covered by. Any time it has ever been suggested to me that those rent pressure zones should be lifted or changed, or exemptions made for universities, I have not been supportive of it and that will continue to be the case. I am acutely aware of the difficulty faced by students regarding the affordable supply of student accommodation. …

My answer is factual in the sense that I have to work within the laws of the land. Within the laws of the land, higher education institutions are autonomous institutions that are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs. I have responsibility for making sure we put measures in place to help students with the costs of going to college, including the cost of rent. I recognise that the costs of rent and accommodation are now the biggest costs that any student will face when going to coll…

Sure.

I will.

I fully accept the challenges, and do so against a context and a backdrop of really high levels of participation rates in third level education. I am trying to take a number of steps to provide more pathways and opportunities, including providing universities in the regions. The idea that everyone has to move to a big city means that there can be a last-minute scramble, which causes some challenges. Indeed, it can cause a dearth of a younger population in a region as well. When I answer these questions, it often hi…

I love coming to Louth because I think we are making real progress with the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB. I want to praise Martin O’Brien, who is the CEO of LMETB, and others there. I thank Deputy O’Dowd for bringing me up the road to Drogheda so often. We now have plans to significantly expand Drogheda Institute of Further Education. I am very excited about this from an educational point of view, but also from a community and social cohesion point of view. There is the Guerin report, etc., t…

We know what the map of Ireland looks like. Every single application that has come to me for a technological university has now been delivered on, but we have had challenges. We do not need a history lesson on how we get over that DkIT issue and how we deliver a university of scale for the north east and all the good opportunities that will come from that. I need to say at the outset that DkIT is an autonomous higher education institution. Of course, that means the strategic direction of the institution is rightly …

I agree with everything Deputy O'Dowd says, but I stand here thinking that there are reasons to be excited and hopeful now about the future of DkIT. I congratulate the new president and thank him for the proactivity he is bringing to this. We need to bring this to finality. We also need to provide that little bit of space. The staff in DkIT and in Maynooth University have been informed by their presidents that they are having preliminary discussions. That is how they should be best described. If it gets beyond that…

I am determined to work with Deputy Ó Murchú on the PA issue and to make progress on it. I thank him for the constructive way in which we have engaged on that. In respect of any potential strategic decisions DkIT may or may not make in the future, I am not going to give a view on it today because I think it would be unfair and disrespectful to their autonomy and to the process in what are only preliminary discussions. My view is that the north east needs a university. There are different ways of getting there; and …

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor very much for raising this issue and for working with me on the delivery of the South East Technological University, SETU, which benefits Carlow, and also issues relating to Carlow College, which I know she is very passionate about and on which I am very committed to working with her. We want to see more college-owned student accommodation. It is so important that we are not just reliant on the market or on universities borrowing of their own volition. In my view, we need to get much…

I have a couple of points to make. I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for all her work. Only last month my Department gave approval to SETU to purchase a site, which will provide an access route to SETU's currently owned site of 4.7 acres. That is quite an important position. Any integration of Carlow College into an autonomous higher education institution remains in the first instance a matter for the respective governing authorities. In this context, my Department understands that the college has been engaging with …

I would like to send the Deputy a detailed note on the borrowing framework.

I will not do it justice in this time. We need to win the argument and build up enough confidence in allowing people to access State balance sheets and borrowing. The place to start is on the issue of student accommodation and showing proof of concept through that. I will send the Deputy a detailed note on that. Carlow College is trying to give an incredible gift to the people of Carlow, the south east and the country as a whole by saying it wants this site to be available for education. I want to see that harnesse…

I thank Deputy Wynne for this question. I look forward to visiting County Clare shortly. I hope to do so in the next month. Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, LCETB, provides a broad range of further education and training options at levels 1 to 6, including literacy, community education, post-leaving certificate courses, Youthreach, training for the employed and the unemployed, and apprenticeships. Further education and training provision in County Clare, as across the country, is supported through a…

I am excited about the new tertiary degrees. We have set up a national tertiary office. There are now 23 degrees which can be accessed by starting in further education with a guarantee of being able to complete it in higher education. Nobody cares or asks what points you got in the leaving certificate. You are assessed on your suitability in different ways, such as interviews and portfolios. More than 800 people have already applied to undertake those degrees. This morning, I will announce that we will double the n…

I am happy to explore that idea with Deputy Wynne and to have a meeting with the relevant stakeholders. The proposal needs to come through various education and training boards, universities and others. I see huge potential when it comes to renewable energy and offshore wind. Often, we talk about climate in terms of all the challenges it poses, which it does - it is the biggest crisis the world is facing - but there is also huge opportunity in new education, new jobs and the green economy. Geographically, west Clar…

It is a pity we will not have much time for this question. I am sure we will return to it again. The apprenticeship system is responding to a marked increase in demand over the past four years. For the reasons the Deputy has mentioned, we need more people working in the trades. We estimate that we need 50,000 more people working in construction by 2030 and 17,000 more in retrofitting. Both housing and climate are dependent on more people taking up the trades and apprenticeships. The key thing we need to do is to in…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Technological Universities Act 2018 (Section 44F) (Appointed Day) Order 2023, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 12th June, 2023.

At the outset, I apologise, as I will not be able to stay for all of the debate. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, will be present for most of it. I will have to leave to attend a Cabinet committee. I welcome the opportunity to update the House on important issues regarding apprenticeships and further education and training, FET. I am pleased we have the opportunity to explore these issues in the Dáil. These are areas on which we need to shine a light. They have a key role to play in our future economic …