A Carlow/Kilkenny TD and former Minister of State has said a new headquarters for the new Technological University of the South East "absolutely" should - and will be - located in Waterford.
John Paul Phelan told Deise Today this morning that in his view, someone was playing "silly beggars" on the issue and he maintained that political representatives in this region all want the headquarters to be here.
"It's a bit like the councillors in Waterford putting down motions about boundaries again. There is someone playing silly beggars here and I don't know who it is," he said.
"But on the political end of things I have spoken to Minister Harris and to all my FG colleagues in the South East and each of us believes the headquarters should be in Waterford."
The TD, who resides in Ferrybank, said there is nobody in Kilkenny at a political level, from any party, making any claim that Kilkenny should be chosen as the location.
He said the inter-county rivalry within the region was not helpful. We needed to get the application in for the new university for April 28 and get approval for the new TUSEI.
After this he said, the the decision to have the headquarters in Waterford would be made.
You can listen back to John Paul Phelan's interview with Damien Tiernan by clicking below here...
Meanwhile, you can listen back to the full Deise Today from this morning, by clicking below here..
