Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2025
910. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of approval for the SETU veterinary and pharmacy buildings; when the preliminary business case was received; when a decision will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37181/25]
View answerUnder the National Development Plan, my Department allocates capital investment to Higher Education Institutions (including SETU) through competitive programmatic funding calls managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). These funding calls invite applications from Universities and Technological Universities, which typically respond to these calls by submitting Preliminary Business Cases (PBCs). The HEA evaluates submissions based on strategic fit, value for money and alignment with national priorities before making recommendations to my Department. Any decision to allow a project to proceed through PBC stage is not considered a guarantee of capital investment.
All projects are subject to the approval process set out in the 2023 Infrastructure Guidelines, formerly known as the Public Spending Code, which require progression through a series of formal Approval Gates, namely, Approval Gate 1 Approval in Principle, Approval Gate 2 Pre-Tender Approval and Approval Gate 3 Approval to Proceed.
The South East Technological University (SETU) made a full submission of their Preliminary Business Case (PBC) to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in May 2025. Further to a review of the PBC, the HEA is currently awaiting receipt of supplementary information from SETU before the proposal proceeds to the next stage of the approval process.
