I want to raise again two hugely important education and economic development projects for County Kerry and ask that every effort be made to expedite both. The first is the proposed hospitality education college at the former Pretty Polly site in Killarney. It is a transformative project not just for Killarney but also for the wider south-west region. Hospitality and tourism, as the Minister is well aware, are the backbone of our local economy, and this project would create a state-of-the-art training campus focused on hospitality and skills development. I welcome the progress already made. I thank the Minister especially for the €2.375 million he made available to Kerry ETB to acquire the site from Kerry County Council and the approval given to Kerry ETB to engage with the vendor and proceed with the due diligence on the preferred site. However, I urge that SOLAS continue driving this project forward at pace. The demand for skilled workers in hospitality, tourism and food services is enormous, and the college will help secure the future workforce for one of Ireland’s most important industries while also bringing more educational investment into Kerry. The second project I want to highlight is the proposed commercial diving and underwater welding training course, to be based in Cahersiveen and to be provided through Kerry ETB. This is an exciting and innovative project with huge potential for south Kerry and Ireland’s marine sector. There are excellent careers and well-paid jobs available in underwater welding and commercial diving but we need to ensure Irish people have access to the training required to enter those professions. Cahersiveen is ideally placed to become a national centre of excellence for this type of marine training and skills development. I acknowledge the constructive engagement already taking place involving Kerry ETB, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the relevant Minister of State, Deputy Timmy Dooley, but I ask that the project be prioritised and progressed urgently.

Sentiment score: 0.52