Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2023
66. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 116 of 1 December 2022, the status of the proposed new further education college in Galway city; the status of the development of the preliminary business case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6945/23]
View answerBaineann mo cheist le Gaillimh agus an coláiste nua breisoideachais atá beartaithe agus a bhéas lonnaithe taobh thiar den choláiste ag Móinín na gCiseach.
I ask for further clarification on the very welcome news that there will be a further education campus in Galway city at the back of Moneenageisha on the Tuam Road. Could the Minister give me an update on the preliminary business case?
I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this matter. On Thursday, I am due to meet the new director in SOLAS of the further education and training, FET, college of the future. I may have a further update in which case I am very happy to revert to the Deputy post Thursday, but I will exchange what I have with her now.
As Deputy Connolly rightly said, Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, GRETB, did superb work, which I acknowledge, in a very exciting plan for Galway city. It wants to establish a FET college adjacent to the training centre in Mervue and the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, and within walking distance of NUI Galway.
My understanding - I am going from my memory of my visit there last winter – is that this could see further education capacity in Galway increase by up to 40% and could also see a consolidation in terms of the service provision, which I understand is a little bit higgledy-piggledy at the moment and is spread around various buildings across the city.
Last year, I was pleased to announce that Galway Roscommon ETB's strategic proposal to develop a further education college in Galway city was successful under the FET college of the future major projects fund. The proposal is now at the next stage of the project under the public spending code. As the Deputy correctly said, that requires the development of a preliminary business case by Galway Roscommon ETB. My Department is working closely with SOLAS in developing a number of template documents and guidance material to support ETBs in successfully completing this stage of the process. In addition, we will hold a number of workshops to assist the successful ETBs with key aspects of the process. SOLAS will be in contact with the GRETB on these important next steps.
The next step is to get the provision of a business case over the line. My job and that of my Department and SOLAS is to make sure they all get over the line and that we help them by making sure they comply with the public spending code. I could detect when I was there talking to staff and management of the ETB that this is a very exciting project. We are fully committed to it as a Department, and I know SOLAS is too. We will work with the ETB. This year, 2023, we will get the business case over the line and in compliance with the public spending code. I will meet Avril Behan on Thursday and I am happy to revert to the Deputy further following that meeting.
I appreciate that. I agree that it is a very positive news story. This college is something many people have campaigned for. It was a gaping gap in Galway in terms of further education. There was an emphasis on the technological university and the university, but this side was completely neglected, despite the fantastic work. I refer to the waste of money on rented buildings, not to mention the effect on morale of being spread all over the city. This is a great news story for Galway. What is the update on the preliminary business case since the previous question I asked about the matter? I will follow up on progress at all times. Has the preliminary business case begun yet? More importantly, when is the completion date? Could the Minister provide clarification? Exactly a year ago today, on St. Valentine's Day, the announcement was made about the €430 million for the various adult education projects. Could the Minister clarify what money has been allocated for Galway?
I visited Galway to make the announcement on 28 November 2022. I appreciate the point that the overall fund was announced. I did not realise it was a year ago today, but there you go. It was 28 November when Galway was officially selected as one of the ten. We have now identified these ten projects. There will be more in the country, but these are the ten we want to proceed in phase 1. We do not give out the specific figure now. That is not to be difficult, but it is subject to tendering and the likes. The question of which project will move first or second of the ten will depend on a number of factors, including planning and the preparedness of the ETB. The factual position at the moment is that now that the ten have been announced - that process took us up to Christmas - in the coming weeks SOLAS will meet with each of the ETBs with the template documents and guidance material for the preliminary business case. On whether it has started, they are all very much aware of it, but the starting will formally be in the coming weeks when the guidance documents and template documents will be given out. I will revert to the Deputy on a closing date because I truthfully do not have one. The key point is that we want to make sure we get people over the line, so we have done a lot of work in making sure ETBs have very clear supporting material and templates on what needs to go into the business case.
I again appreciate the clarification. The preliminary business case has not started yet but the consultation is about to start on it.
Yes.
Will the business case be completed in the first six months of this year? When will it be completed? If I appear a bit impatient, it is because this project has been on the cards for a very long time. Going back a good few years ago, I had the privilege of being chair of the Galway Technical Institute, GTI. The institute has done great, but the building is just not suitable. With the new campus, it will be suitable as an additional building. It is exactly a year ago on this very day that the announcement was made about the €430 million for four capital projects. First, when will the preliminary business case be completed? When does the Minister envisage planning to proceed? When will the vacancies in Galway for planners be filled? The chief planner and another planner are gone. When does the Minister envisage the college going to construction? Has the money been earmarked?
Money has been earmarked. The Deputy should please be impatient, because I am impatient. These ten projects are key to creating a unified tertiary system that will give Galway the last piece of the jigsaw - a traditional university, a technological university and a major modern further education and training college.
I accept the Deputy's point about the year. It has been less than three months since I made the announcement that Galway has been chosen. I was in GTI on that day. I was quite blown away by what they do, but the poor infrastructural quality was clear to me as well. Yes, the preliminary business cases need to be completed this year. The pace at which they are completed will be a matter for the ETBs. I say this directly to GRETB and all other ETBs that have been selected. Once we give them the template documents and the support and guidance, they are then empowered at a local level in the ETBs to get on with getting the best business case together as quickly as possible. The pace at which each of the ten projects move will depend on their ability to get their business case approved and their planning in place. I was very clear in Galway that day that these are projects that in their totality are four to five years from announcement to completion, but we need to sit on it to make sure it happens within that space. The year 2023 is the year of the preliminary business case. I will try to be more specific as to what stage it is at once that documentation issues and I have spoken to GRETB again.
