Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
869. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when a building project (details supplied) will proceed to the next stage; the timescale for the delivery of this new accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35424/23]
View answerLate last year, I was delighted to announce that the proposal for the project referred to by the Deputy was successful at the first stage of the assessment process under the FET College of the Future Major Projects Fund.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that since then my department has worked closely with SOLAS in developing a suite of templates and guidance notes in line with Public Spending Code requirements for the preliminary business case stage of the process. Workshops took place at the end of March 2023 with relevant ETB representatives, to advise on how to complete the templates. SOLAS will continue to work closely with these ETBs, during the development phase of their proposal. ETBs have up to the end of September to complete and return their preliminary business cases for evaluation.
This proposal is to accommodate 1,000 students by building new centralised accommodation. This campus would be complementary to and work in collaboration with the current FET Training campus to further consolidate provision of FET programmes at Levels 5 and 6, as well as apprenticeships from a centralised, flagship college.
