Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the Members' motivation but the USI and the student bodies have been very much involved, during my tenure and those of my predecessors, in policy frameworks and decisions and in putting forward their perspective. This legislation, for example, was very important to them. However, the issue in this case is that this is not a representative group or body. This board would be composed of people of repute and of the highest calibre who would probably have specific talents, for example, in law or accounting, and my concern is that there would be a conflict of interest if a student representative was on it. I am not persuaded to accept the amendment.

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