Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for his cooperation and assent to the proposal we put forward. It is a progressive move and I thank the Minister and his officials for consulting us in advance of the amendments being tabled in the House. On Second Stage, I said that my Seanad colleague, Senator Power, had suggested two student representatives and to be honest I thought that was ambitious. I am glad the Minister has acceded to that request and that the Union of Students in Ireland has been designated as a nominating body. The Union of Students in Ireland in recent years, particularly under the leadership of Gary Redmond, who vacated the office last week, has displayed great maturity in the campaigns and issues it has brought to our attention. I thank the Minister and welcome these amendments.

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