Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2023
376. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide an update on the Killarney centre of excellence for tourism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45805/23]
View answerI thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Deputy will be aware that late last year I was very happy to announce that Kerry ETB's (KETB) proposal for Killarney under the FET College of the Future Major Projects fund was successful at the first stage of the assessment process.
The proposal put forward by KETB is to transform FET provision in Killarney. This is a really exciting project for Killarney and the wider Kerry region as it involves the transformation of a site into a state-of-the-art campus focusing on skills development in Hospitality Training, while also supporting Renewable Energy and Sustainable Green Technologies.
This proposal is now at the next stage of development, which involves the development of a preliminary business case which is a fundamental part of the public spending code requirements.
The original date for receipt by SOLAS of the preliminary business case submissions was the 30th of September, however ETBs have sought additional time. This is a really exciting development for Killarney and I know the Deputy is a strong supporter.
