I thank you sincerely for allowing me to raise the subject of the proposal for the regional technical college and rural development institute at Thurles in County Tipperary. The original proposals were made by North Tipperary Vocational Education Committee in 1979. They were endorsed by South Tipperary Vocational Education Committee in the person of Councillor Neddy Brennan, the then chairman. They recommended the establishment of an RTC at Thurles to provide technical education in engineering, science and business. In 1982 approval in principle was granted by the then Government. In 1985 the Department of Education issued a schedule of courses for the proposed RTC. The Department also purchased a 20 acre college site at Thurles in 1987 and they appointed a design team in the same year.
However, following the cutbacks in Government expenditure in late 1987 the RTC proposals were then deferred. The publication of the National Development Plan provided an opportunity to reassess this proposal. The plan creates a clear link between education and development. The plan recognises the close linkage between development in rural areas and educational institutes and that these would play a vital role in promoting rural and regional economic development. This view has also been shared by Commissioner MacSharry in his efforts in the Community at Commission level. This proposal represents a response to the issues raised by the Government in their plan. This proposal has been substantiated by the action committee set up in Thurles comprising both counties. It is supported not only by the statutory authorities of South Tipperary and North Tipperary County Councils and the VECs in those areas but also in County Laois which adjoins them and is subscribed to by Clonmel Corporation and the urban district councils in north and south Tipperary.
The justification for this proposal is on four counts. There is a shortage of places at third level education. The Minister for Education said in a Dáil debate of 19 July 1989 that 10,000 extra places would be required by the year 2000. The provision of 800 extra places in this new institute in Thurles would obviously help to alleviate this shortage. These urgently needed places can be provided cost effectively through this proposal because this unique concept in Irish third level education has the following features: it would be an integrated rural development institute serving Tipperary, west Laois, south Offaly and west Kilkenny with sub-centres based in second level schools in the catchment areas. The emphasis would be on community development, agriculture, forestry, alternative income generating farming enterprises and technology transferred to rural Ireland. A business development institute serving the same area and using the same resources as SFADCo, industry, local services and college developments which already exist between businesses and services would be attractive to new industries at the appropriate scale. A continuing education programme which is an integral part of this college and the workload of college staff would be a focus for business, rural and community development. There would also be the advantage of a number of mainstream RTC-RDI programmes in engineering, science and business with an emphasis on courses relating to the catchment areas natural resources of agriculture, forestry, peat and coal. These are all reasons that this proposal should receive Government approval. We suggest also post-leaving certificate courses to cater for the growing demand in the large urban areas and elsewhere.
The college would have a structure of work which would involve enterprise, marketing, engineering, the environment, rural development and community development in urban areas. We anticipate co-operation between all the existing institutions in the area, locally, regionally and nationally, such as the Garda Training College in Templemore, Rockwell Agricultural College, Gurteen Agricultural College, St. Patrick's College in Ferns, Teagasc, the FÁS agencies and SFADCo. Regionally we hope to link with the University of Limerick and co-ACT. Nationally we hope to tap into all the national universities and regional colleges. We hope to use the institute for approximately 14 hours per day for 360 days a year. We hope to share staff in this institute with industry, agriculture and local businesses, and that the building of such provision into this contract for the college staff will be an element of continuing education and work in industry and in the community itself. Planning the college in such a way that we would have a mix of all these programmes in Thurles will cater for the changing needs and demographic trends already in the country. We hope that by so doing we will improve the access for the lowest socio-economic group which had been identified by Clancy in his report of 1988 which has shown that Tipperary has the fourth lowest participation rate nationally by the second lowest socio-economic grouping, as contained in Table 28 of the Clancy report.
The area itself that is chosen and supported by all agencies — involved in the area are two Ministers in this Government — is Thurles. It is a strategic location. It is in the centre of the area that is inadequately served by third level education already in the area. We have institutes in Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Carlow and Athlone, but in the hinterland of Tipperary there is no such institute. Everybody supporting this proposal believes this is the ideal location and that is why there is agreement and consensus about where it should be. I am from South Tipperary and we there are as committed to it as are the Oireachtas Members in North Tipperary and, indeed, as are the two Ministers, Deputy O'Kennedy and Deputy Smith whose Departments will be directly involved in agriculture and science and technology.
In terms of transport, Thurles has an excellent connection with all the other catchment areas. It straddles the main Dublin-Cork route. The town is well served by rail links and national primary roads. It has a total of 21 train services on the main Dublin Cork line which pass through it daily. The level of bus services is good and there are some strong private operators, in particular Kavanaghs of Urlingford and Tuohys of Nenagh. These infrastructural advantages will help, with their buses and transport systems, to ensure students get to the area and return home at weekends. Maps and timetables are available and have been submitted to the Department.
Having met the Minister on a deputation when she almost suggested a change in our proposals, we hope that with this change it will fit into the national plan that has been submitted for structural funding, and since the whole concept is along the lines of the development of rural areas as defined by the Commissioner, we hope this proposal will have total and committed Government support. Everybody in the three counties who is involved is looking to the Government for agreement in principle so that further work can be done in whatever way the Government feel this plan needs to bring to fruition the efforts that go back to 1979. I hope we will have a positive response from the Minister present.
