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In light of the recent comments made by Enda Kenny at the recent Fine Gael think tank event at Faithlegg where it was stated, “We are very clear about our commitment for very many years to a university for the South East and the implementation of WIT’s request. In fact, if anybody is interested in this, they should read the 1997 Education Act which is the law which has to be triggered before any institution can have university status - that requires national and international perspectives and what I said in Tramore at the Young Fine Gael conference is that Fine Gael will trigger that.
“As we speak here in Faithlegg, there are no criteria set down by the Department of Education or the Government for the setting up of a university anywhere so what I’m committed to is implementing that portion of the Act which requires an international and national perspective and - beyond that – Fine Gael are committed without any equivocation to the setting up of a university in the southeast so I hope that clears up doubts for anybody.”
Commenting on behalf of Waterford Chamber Tom Murran, President stated, “We welcome Fine Gael’s unequivocal commitment to the University of the South East and particularly their recognition of the need to trigger section 9 of the University Act to designate WIT as the University. It is vital for future business investment in the region that we leverage all the economic benefits a designated University City will bring. The Goodbody and Deloitte reports, commissioned by Waterford Chamber, quite clearly support the strong case for University status for WIT. This status will aid economic development across the whole South East Region. This is perhaps even more important now due to the current economic crisis faced in Ireland.
It has been four years since the initial submission was made and we have no doubt that this long delay has impacted on job creation in this region. We have an Institute that is recognised for its outstanding performance and which continues to be at the forefront in delivering research from National and European funding sources.
To take this to the next level we would call on Enda Kenny and Fine Gael to ensure the process to designate WIT as a university is an ongoing priority, linked to job creation and regional renewal, and that it is implemented without further delay.” |
