asked the Minister for Education if there are any plans to provide a regional technical college in County Mayo; and, if so, if he will give details; and, if not, why.
25.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mayo Education Facilities.
24.
asked the Minister for Education the proposals he has for the development of a third-level education institution in County Mayo.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 25 together.
There are no plans to provide a regional technical college or other third-level education institution in County Mayo.
The regional technical colleges were set up to serve designated regions, each region comprising a number of counties or parts of counties. North Mayo is part of the region served by Sligo Regional Technical College and South Mayo is part of the region served by Galway Regional Technical College. Both these colleges have recently been extended to meet the expanding requirements of their respective regions.
I am sure the Minister is aware of the increasing pressure in County Mayo for a third-level institution. Will he state if there are specific criteria that he would wish to have before a regional college could be established?
The regional colleges, with the addition of the college at Tralee which was included recently, were set up at the locations as a result of an inquiry held in the late 1960s and the recommendations made by that inquiry. They were placed strategically to cover certain areas. I know there has been a request for Mayo and, strangely enough, for Cavan for a regional technical college.
Will the Minister take into consideration the size of County Mayo and the amount of travelling involved for the thousands of students who presently attend the regional colleges in Sligo and Galway? It would appear much more logical to have a central college in Mayo to serve that county and also Roscommon rather than having the students travel north and south.
I realise that Mayo is a large county. The areas, particularly in the western part, stretch out very far away from Sligo. As of now there are no plans for a third-level college in Mayo.
Questions Nos. 26 and 27 are for written answer.