Mr. Tom Boland:

I will be brief. On the issue of councillors, raised by the Chairman, there is an issue of engaging the key stakeholders when considering the composition of governing boards. There is also an issue of ensuring we have people with the competences needed. Increasingly, governance of complex institutions requires more boards that are highly accountable and have the skills needed. My sense is that the balance in the legislation is good and there is nothing in it that would prevent councillors being engaged through other processes. A competency based approach to governing bodies is a sound one.
With regard to transitions, members can expect a statement from the Minister within days about good progress in that space. The point about the different roles of an academic and different workload allocation and how it applies in the context of technological universities, the last criterion the HEA advised the Minister on in respect of technological universities was that workload practices and employment contracts must be reflective of a modern university including, inter alia, the flexibility of delivery of programmes for diverse learner groups, the length and structure of the academic year, the efficient utilisation of the institutions' physical resources and other infrastructure. It is a matter to be addressed specifically in the context of the development of technological universities.