Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2021
99. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the name he plans to apply to the new LIT and AIT technological university; the process undertaken by the project team; the consultation process to arrive at the proposed agreed name which he rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26959/21]
View answerIn accordance with section 36 of the Technological Universities Act 2018, I am required to make an order appointing a day for the dissolution of Athlone and Limerick ITs and for the establishment of the new TU following my granting of the joint application of the two applicant institutes seeking the making of such an order.
The order, the draft of which must be approved by a resolution of each House of the Oireachtas in due course, shall include the name by which the TU is to be known.
The Institutes, my Department understands, undertook a consultation process to propose a name for the TU when established. Neither myself as Minister nor my Department played any role in that process and as such are not privy to the precise details of same.
The name put forward by the Institutes was “Technological University of the Shannon: Athlone and Limerick”, abbreviated to TÚS:AL. Whereas the Institutes proposed this name I also received a considerable range of representations from some who did not favour this name. Having considered the matter, I was also not convinced that, given the expanded regional mandate of the new Technological Universities, it was best to adopt a practice of referencing the constituent Institutes in the title.
I have written to the Institutes to advise them that the name I intend to include on the draft order is “Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest".
I want to thank all of those involved in giving detailed consideration to the name for the Technological University. While an important task, I am confident that the success of this university will be guaranteed by the quality of the teaching and research which it will develop, building on strong track record of both Limerick and Athlone institutes of technology, rather than the name by which it is known.
