Ms Annette Dolan:

I might add to that. First, there is a larger group representing members in the higher education sector, all under the ICTU umbrella. They include my colleagues from SIPTU, Unite and Fórsa. There might be an opportunity at a later stage to invite ICTU and the relevant unions within the higher education sector because in the past we have been working very closely together as a higher education group not alone on Covid-19 issues but also on funding. The committee may have got a report from the ICTU about a year ago on the funding of the sector but I can re-send it to members of the committee. All of my fellow trade unionists representing higher education are at one that there should be a representative of the trade union movement on the governing body of the HEA. There is not currently such representation and there is no mention of it within the provisions of the heads of the Bill and that must be the case.