Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The title of the Bill is not the experts support Bill. Can we get a little real and adventurous? It is the Student Support Bill. These are people who have the right to vote, get married and be on a jury. They are not children. This is 2010, not 1810 or 1910, for God's sake. These are people who have bank accounts and in some cases are in cohabiting relationships and are parents. They are full citizens of this Republic. Consider the person the Minister appointed for the Hunt report. I can tell her, with hand on heart, there was absolute confidentiality about the content of that report, although the dogs on the street now appear to know it. Not a syllable of the report was released by the representative from that union in his personal capacity.

These are people who can be trusted. The Minister should be brave and put their names in this legislation. Nominations suggest that they are there in a representative capacity, but I can offer a compromise. If somebody is nominated by the USI, they are there in a representative capacity and I can see how that could be a problem.

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