The Technological Universities Bill was published by my colleague, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and reached Report Stage prior to the election last year. Last May I asked the Taoiseach about progress on the legislation and he gave me an assurance at that point that it would proceed, yet we have seen very little progress in the full year that has elapsed since the election.

The Taoiseach is very well aware of my own interest in the creation of a university in the south east, which was a commitment in the previous programme for Government. He is also aware there are other colleges urgently awaiting this legislation. Is the Taoiseach committed to enacting the Bill and when?

Yes, I am. I will ask the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, to provide the Deputy with an up-to-date report on the Bill.

I thank Deputy Howlin for raising the issue. He is correct, this is very important legislation because it traces a future for the institutes of technology to form more effective technological universities that would drive regional performance. It is not that we have been idle. It is not just a matter of legislation and bringing in a set of amendments to the committee, it is a case of making sure that we have all of the institutions committed to the path and we are working on that. There have also been issues concerning industrial relations which we need to resolve. It is not simply a matter of coming into the Dáil with a set of amendments. We want to make sure that when we do so we have the required level of commitment and a clear signposted path ahead for the various institutions.

What about the timeline?

In terms of the timeline I look forward to advancing the Bill this year. I hope it will come to the House as soon as possible. I would love to bring the Bill to the House tomorrow but it is more important that we get it right than we get it fast.