Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I thank the Minister for being accommodating. I would have liked to have got more, but one has to be grateful on this side of the House for whatever one gets. I would hope, in the preparation of the operating manual for how this practice will be developed, that there will be cognisance of this debate. The Minister was reluctant to put into statutory law something that she exercised in practice, in that she appointed a person who had USI experience onto the board of the Hunt report. Until we can get it on a statutory basis, I hope that students who are part of the educational partnership would have a role to play.

I do not for one second accept the Minister's argument that a student who might have a personal interest in knowing a particular applicant would participate in an appeal adjudication process. Any sensible adult who studied for a BA, MA or a doctorate and who is in the education system will self-evidently see that there would be a conflict of interest and would absent himself or herself from participating in such an appeal. They are doing it every day of the week in the college union where there is a conflict of interest in respect of knowing the particular person. To think that they are not doing so means that some people are not aware of the real world.

This legislation is a great improvement on the existing situation. The way in which the Minister or her successor make appointments will add to where we are going. The Seanad is sitting tomorrow. Is there any chance the Bill will go before that House then?

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