The announcement that the joint plan by Dublin, Blanchardstown and Tallaght Institutes of Technology to create a technological university has received a very positive assessment by the international expert panel, is good news for Dublin West.

The joint plan to create a strong new institution for the city and county of Dublin was submitted to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) earlier this year. According to the independent assessment, the plan is on track to meet the robust performance and quality criteria for merging institutes who wish to apply for the new technological university status.

I have no doubt that this new institution will have the potential to deliver high quality, enterprise-focused university education for Dublin and for Ireland.

It will in particular, strengthen the technological offering currently available at Blanchardstown IT, which has increasingly become an important part of the education landscape in places like Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart, and Castleknock.

I look forward to seeing further progress on this exciting project.