2026-04-23

220. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the position regarding the engagement there has been with his Department, Dundalk IT and Queen’s University Belfast in relation to their partnership to create Dundalk university college; the work being carried out by his Department to resolve cross-Border further and higher education issues and the anomalies caused by the CAO-UCAS systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22073/26]

What engagement has there been between the Department, Dundalk IT and Queen's University Belfast on a partnership? The heads of agreement have been signed from the point of view of creating Dundalk university college. What work is being carried out by the Department to resolve cross-Border further and higher education issues and the anomalies in the CAO and UCAS systems? The recognition of awards, etc., is an ongoing difficulty.

I must first send best wishes to the Deputy's colleague, Teachta McGettigan. I understand she has not been well this week and normally she would be a key part of this debate. She is a very valued contributor to the education conversation. I just wanted to send our best wishes. I know she was taken unwell this week. On the Deputy's question, he will be aware, and as all in Dundalk know at this stage, that committed to developing the North-South collaboration in student mobility but particularly in driving on the partnership between Queen's University and Dundalk IT, DKIT, with the aim of Dundalk IT becoming a legally recognised university college of Queen's University, aligning on awards, on research and on quality assurance, creating the first all-island university. This is actually very exciting and something I am really pleased to be in a position to progress, and I am intending to progress very rapidly. It is something we are all very much aligned on and celebrate. It is a new model within the higher education landscape. There are significant opportunities for cross-Border collaboration and enhancement of higher education on an all-island basis through that. In March I was present at the signing ceremony between the two institutions. The Deputy was present at that great event, as were Deputy Erin McGreehan and many others. That work is progressing as rapidly as my officials can deliver it. I am pleased to steward it through. On another note, the Deputy asked about other collaborations or partnerships. I have met the Minister for the Economy in Northern Ireland, Caoimhe Archibald, MLA, on a number of occasions. We are working together to synchronise the two jurisdictions as best we can in terms of rules, exam results being released, and how the points are computed between the A levels versus the leaving certificate. As recently as this morning I launched the AIReady website that is about AI skills where I had a conversation with a number of interested parties from north of the Border who would like to see that developed on an all-island basis. I am having ongoing collaboration, which has been very positive and constructive so far, and I intend to continue it.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I will pass on his best wishes to Deputy McGettigan. Our thoughts are with her and we are very glad that she is getting better. We are all support this partnership, which is an all-island project that can deliver for the people of Dundalk and beyond. It will vw beneficial to Queen's University Belfast. It follows on from the idea of the M1-border corridor. At the Good Friday Agreement committee recently we had the Newry-Dundalk Chamber of Commerce and many others in. The representatives spoke about the absolute importance of this while dealing with other infrastructural issues that need to be dealt with. I thank the Minister for his words in relation to his engagement with the Dr. Caoimhe Archibald. It is absolutely vital that we deal with those anomalies around points and the release of results, but that we also we get down to the issue around qualifications and recognition. It is absolutely necessary.

A body of work is required. This is the first time this has ever been undertaken and there is a job of work to do to align the different rules and regulations across the Border. My Department has been intensively engaged with that. In consultation with my officials, DKIT has established a number of representative groups working to identify requirements and issues, and bottom out the issues around legislation, the awarding of degrees and other qualifications, quality assurance criteria and aligning the two systems on each side of the Border to make sure they can work together and find out what the model is to present these into the legislation that I will bring before the House in the near future. There has been active engagement between my officials, between Queen's University and Dundalk IT, and between the agencies of the Higher Education Authority and Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI on this end, and the Department of the Economy in the North. They have carried out a programme of consultation with key stakeholders, which is going well. A regulatory impact assessment is also being performed which will inform the legislative programme. It is certainly full steam ahead and progress has been good to date.

We all agree this is vital stuff. Consultation on issues is a necessity so that we can cut the issues off at the pass. I thank Dr. Diarmuid O'Callaghan and his team in DKIT and those in Queen's University in making this happen. From what he says the Minister is in support of it and whatever is necessary from this end will be delivered. There will be learnings in respect of those cross-Border issues the Minister is aware of that are impacting on a huge number of students and those that are qualified. It deals with higher education, further education and all the rest of it. We have heard here previously of the need for a proper clearing house for dealing not only in the educational sphere but in all spheres regarding cross-Border issues, while I might want to see a greater amount of work done in on delivering the all-Ireland project altogether.

To continue that theme of collaboration, Universities Ireland is co-funded by my Department and the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy. This is another cross-border body. Through that body universities across the entire island of Ireland have been working together on this project but also on others. They have really displayed an agility, a willingness and an ambition, which I applaud, to align entry procedures and to encourage student mobility. I have asked my officials to engage with the representative bodies across the Irish Universities Association and the Technological Universities Association to take this matter forward. I met with Dr. Archibald quite recently at the all-island ministerial forum where we compared notes on this and other matters. The associations were very keen to align those processes and make sure their students can travel each side of the Border seamlessly and without having to come across any kind of procedural hurdles or hiccups that might delay that path because it is a fundamental goal that students in the North be treated the same as those in South and vice versa.