I wish the Taoiseach well in his new role but I remind him that he has unfinished business with Waterford given his previous role dealing with further and higher education. I want to prove the doubters wrong and show that South East Technological University can indeed be a university of scale and substance, serving the people of the south east. However, to see that we need to see the money. We have to see the funding for the engineering building and finally make it through the public private partnership, PPP, process. We need capital funding to develop the Waterford Crystal site, we need to expedite purpose-built student accommodation, and we need an early and positive decision regarding SETU’s bid to host new courses in veterinary medicine and pharmacy. We need to see movement on the deeper structural issues, such as the funding of professorial grades, to allow our technological universities to function properly as centres of research. Are these issues going to remain on Deputy Harris’s agenda now that he has moved to the Taoiseach’s office?

Very much so. We have soldiered together for too long for anything else to happen. I am really proud that we have managed to deliver a university for the south east but I am also very much aware that its success or otherwise will absolutely depend on our continued support and investment as it embeds and grows. I am really proud of the progress it has made so far but each of the issues the Deputy has outlined, including the PPP, student accommodation, veterinary and pharmacy courses, and professorships, are ones I will take an active interest in. I have already spoken to the new Minister for further and higher education about this.