Dr. Aidan Seery:

I thank the Chairman and the committee members for the invitation to address the committee today. I am appearing in the place of Ms Patricia Murphy who presented the proposals to the committee. Ms Murphy is currently out of the country.

By way of introduction and some explanation of my own credentials, I am the college representative in the partnership project with TCD students' union on sexual consent workshops that have run for the past two years in TCD. I have chaired the steering group for the project since its inception. I have no specific content knowledge but I have, at least, some background.

The committee has received a submission from Ms Murphy on the provision of sexual consent workshops and training for personnel in higher education institutions. This proposal is based on our experiences of conducting workshops for the past two years in Trinity College Dublin and, more specifically, in the college accommodation facility of Trinity Hall in Dartry, which houses approximately 1,000 new college entrants each year.

As a result of our experiences, the outcome of the immediate evaluation of students and facilitators involved in the project and the institutional reflection and assessment over the past two years, we believe we have gained sufficient knowledge to be useful for the committee in its deliberations and add to the evidential basis for the proposals it will make.

In summary, the proposal envisages that annual sexual consent workshops be provided for identified groups in all colleges in the State, with supplementary online materials and videos available for whole college communities. The proposal also suggests that bystander training workshops be provided on how to intervene safely when non-consensual activity is being observed. The proposal envisages that first responder training be provided for specific identified individuals who are likely to be the first persons contacted about instances of non-consensual sexual activities, for example, tutors, students' union representatives, college societies, club presidents and officials.

That is a summary of the proposals and I will be pleased to discuss any further points.