848. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline his Department's planned allocations to capital developments at South East Technological University over the next 12 months and beyond. [42796/24]

The higher education capital budget is managed at an overall level, in conjunction with the HEA, with the allocation to a higher education institution (including SETU) in any one year determined by, among other factors, the pace of progress of its projects through design, planning, procurement and delivery and subject to NDP provision.

My Department has disbursed over €21.5m in capital funding to South-East Technological University (SETU) under a number of capital programmes since May 2022. A significant capital investment is planned for SETU over the coming years through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Bundle 2 Programme, with SETU accounting for two of the five planned projects. One of these projects will be located in the SETU Waterford Campus, and the other at SETU Carlow.

A proposed new engineering, computing and general teaching building at the SETU Waterford Campus is the largest project in the Higher Education PPP Programme. This project has an expected construction period of 36 months.

A PPP project comprising a new 6,083m2 Science and Health Building planned for the SETU Carlow Campus will consist of science laboratories, general teaching space, learning resource space, administration space and ancillary space and has an expected construction period of 27 months.

Significant future investment has also been planned for SETU in healthcare and veterinary provision. Through an Expression of Interest process conducted by the HEA, programmes have been initiated which will enhance capacity and advance healthcare and veterinary education across the country. I recently announced the inclusion of a Veterinary School and a Masters in Pharmacy programme for SETU in conjunction with the wider approval of these programmes, which is a hugely positive development for healthcare and veterinary provision in the southeast region.