Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have heard that concern and met some of those researchers. I hope through the conversations we have had and will have as we scrutinise the Bill and go through Committee Stage we can address that. I see it as the opposite to that for this reason. The Irish Research Council, which does incredible work, does not exist in statute. It was established by a letter from a Minister. It could be unestablished in the same manner. This is a chance for the first time to put arts and humanities on a statutory footing and to set up the research agency, which is not a merger but a new agency that has parity between different disciplines. There are many ways to do that, such as a council structure or federated structure. I will be happy to engage with the Deputy as we go through that.