Will the Leader arrange a debate on third level education, including the proposals announced today for the linking of a number of colleges? We should take the opportunity to have our say in this regard before a final decision is made.

The other day I expressed my concern at the increasing tendency on the part of institutes of technology to neglect manufacturing and technology in favour of more academic disciplines. We must have a combination of both. The proposal to link a number of colleges is worthy of debate in this House and I hope it will be accommodated in the coming weeks.

I also said:  The construction of a bridge at Narrow Water would not have happened 20 or even ten years ago. The allocation of such a significant sum for this purpose by the Northern Ireland Government is very welcome. I congratulate everybody who helped to bring the project to fruition, especially Senator Terry Brennan