Vol. 518 No. 6
102 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources when he will establish the national maritime college, as promised in the review of An Action Programme for the Millennium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12932/00]
As the Deputy may be aware, the establishment of a new national maritime college with combined seafarer training facilities for both the Naval Service and the Cork Institute of Technology was the key recommendation of the task force on seafarer training and employment.
The task force stressed that, "more detailed costings would be necessary before the project could proceed".
An interdepartmental expert working group was subsequently set up to examine the costings, financing and timing of the new national maritime college, whose establishment is a commitment in the Government's An Action Programme for the Millennium, as reviewed in November 1999. The group has recently completed its work and submitted a comprehensive report to me, including an independent consultancy study on the feasibility of establishing the college through public private sector partnership arrangements.
