George Lawlor urges fast funding for new SETU Wexford campus

I wish to ask the Minister, having regard to the firm commitments made to establish a new constituent campus in Wexford Town for the South East Technological University, when he expects specific capital funding to be allocated and announced for this project, when the master plan for the site will be published and when he expects SETU to have access to the new site and construction work on the new campus to begin. If he will outline the discussions he has had to date with the Board of SETU and the Higher Education Authority on the faculties to be cited in Wexford and when an announcement will be made on this issue. Thank you. Good morning Deputy, and you're subbing for Deputy Kenney, I assume Deputy Lauder. No, no, but it's in the name of... Substitute. I thought you said Kilkenny. No, no, I know the difference between Wexford and Kilkenny very well, all too well from suffering at their hands for many years in Lancaster finals. Absolutely. But in any event, look at the outset Deputy Lauder, I should say that I'm a strong supporter of this project, as I think and hope you know and other Wexford stakeholders know, and I absolutely share the ambition of the region and of Wexford Town in particular to develop a custom, significant third level campus in Wexford Town. I think the education leads, the level of education attainment, I think the industrial base, I think the demographics all support that very strongly and I'm very much on board with that. So where is it at? The proposal to develop that Wexford campus is being progressed under what's called the Technological Sector Strategic Projects Fund. It's a particular fund within the department to assist the technological universities with putting together these type of proposals. In terms of the engagements that I've had on it, I met with the President, Veronica Campbell, and the Chair, Paddy Prendergast, of SETU in July in my office in Government Buildings. I also met with President Campbell again in late August on the matter and I've also had ongoing engagements with the HEA both directly and through my officials and they would be ongoing and very recently but on a constant basis and I suppose my message to all of them has been of encouragement and that I'm keen to see this project move along through the different stages. So it hasn't always been straightforward, as you know, very well being on the ground. And there has been a site identified by Wexford County Council, I think it's 48.5 acres in that region and there was a proposal for the Council to CPO that land. That became complicated and there was challenges to it and those have thankfully now fallen away through the court system. However, the latest of it now is that the sum has to be agreed in terms of what actually the payment price is going to be and that's ongoing and there is a risk that if it can't be agreed it could be referred to arbitration but my understanding is that has not happened and the negotiations are proceeding and they're going, I'm not going to say they're going well because I don't know, but they're not going badly at least they haven't been told so I understand that's underway and I expect that to complete in the near future and I'll come back to you in the next supplementary. As you stated, the site at Killeen's has been CPO'd but is subject to an ongoing arbitration to agree a final price and while Wexford County Council can access the site immediately, they cannot give a sale price to SETU for their portion of the land until the arbitration post is concluded, which of course may take many months. This will of course give a further excuse to SETU to sit on their hands, I have to say, claiming that they can do nothing until all the issues on the site are resolved. It is imperative that the master plan be concluded and published ASAP. The design and composition of the new buildings for the campus should proceed immediately and planning permission lodged with the Council. They should be in a position to tender for the buildings as soon as planning permission is received. This of course will require a specific allocation of funding to the project by the Higher Education Authority from the Department of Further and Higher Education Minister. The Technological Universities Bill was set up specifically with the SETU in mind and Wexford is a central component of that. We have a facility in Wexford. We need a state-of-the-art new campus to fulfil the aspirations of that. Thank you. Minister? Indeed. The SETU, in terms of technology universities, has received significant support from my department most recently when both Waterford and Carlow were included in what we call Bundle 2 of the PPP projects, delivering significant additional learning spaces and physical buildings, both Waterford and Carlow, but I know you want Wexford to benefit from the same and so do I. So the next stage of the process is for the Notice of Entry to enter onto the lands which would give Wexford County Council the right to take possession of the site. Ordinarily that takes place after the compensation amount has been agreed, so notice when the price has been agreed, they can then move to Notice of Entry and that allows them then to go on site and begin to make further plans. And I'm told that SETU require access to the site to finalise their master plan. What they say is that without access to the site there's a limit to how far they can go with their detailed designs. They have submitted a preliminary business case for the infrastructure, but they've caveated it by saying that there is a need for them to, as I say, go on site, enter the site and walk the land, as we might say, to get a better handle on it and finalise that. And I suppose that rest with Wexford County Council, that next step in terms of Notice of Entry, I understand they may not wish to serve it until the price is agreed and things are finalised because they will become liable for interest, I'm told from the minute that they issued that. So I can understand why there might be some hesitation, but if Wexford County Council move that forward, then everything else begins to... There can be no hesitation at this stage. Ten years ago the money was made available, in 2015 the money was made available for the purchase of a site in Wexford Town for the campus of the SETU. Wexford County Council can access the site as it stands. The only thing outstanding is the decision on the actual price of what's going to be sold to the price to SETU. It is imperative. The biggest county involved in the whole of the SETU process, County Wexford, with a population heading for in excess of 170,000 people, and yet we are the ones that appear to be left behind consistently in the process of the establishment of the SETU. It's imperative that this Wexford campus be constructed as a matter of urgency and any delay or any hold up that appears to be on the horizon seems to be seized upon and grasped by SETU. And I have to say, and there are some fine people involved in it, but I have to say that this progress has been less than satisfactory and has been tardy. I ask for your absolute intervention in this. Your personal intervention. I know you are a proud Wexford man by birth. I ask for your intervention to ensure that this campus moves along as rapidly as possible and the master plan is proceeded with. Thank you. Deputy Minister. I absolutely support the project and I have made that very clear to the executive and all stakeholders. In terms of funding as well, from my department side, we have a confirmed budget to purchase our part of the site. It is a master plan for other things as well, but certainly the educational piece, funding is there and then the business case is progressing. However, the decision on where to serve the notice of entry, which I think is causing the frustration and perhaps the delays, is for Wexford county council to decide. It is good to intervene in that also. Well I suppose you have good offices in Wexford town yourself and you have agency and relationships I'm sure with the county manager and so forth. So I don't know how usual it would be for ministers to engage with the local authority to ask them to accelerate a CPO process. I think it is probably better, sir, if I continue to work on the educational piece and local representatives like yourself can indeed engage with the council, but I agree that it needs to happen. But I do also understand that there is public monies at stake and they need to have satisfaction with the figure finally agreed before they enter. But look, I think it is an order of interest to move this project forward as quickly as possible. Deputy Minister.