Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are most welcome. We could probably discuss this issue for hours but unfortunately we do not have the time. I agree fundamentally with what Professor Donnelly said about the holistic approach. I often find that we tend to get bogged down in problems without focusing on what the potential solution is. The outcome of that is a maze or tangle of red tape and bureaucracy that undermines, to a large extent, what the overall ambition was. I do not want to focus too much on the hierarchy of value between research or STEM and humanities. When we talk about the formation of an agency we want to see that parity of representation on it, obviously with a budget that correlates. Do we then need to start looking at quotas for membership on the board of that agency, to ensure diversity is there but also so those minority disciplines are represented at board level? Dr. Keating spoke about the ambiguity contained within the Bill and the potential to narrow the range. What is the impact of not addressing that ambiguity?