Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome these provisions. There has been some loss of confidence in aspects of the governance of the third level sector, as was highlighted in the discussions that took place at the Committee of Public Accounts and in issues reported in the media. I also refer to the University of Limerick in this regard. In some cases, there was a great deal of defensiveness on the part of sector representatives when confronted with the concerns being expressed. When I make the case generally, or even to colleagues, that the third level sector needs more funding, which it undoubtedly does, some people immediately respond that we should first look to how the institutions are spending their current allocation.

The investigatory provisions the Minister of State is proposing to insert by way of these amendments will help to restore confidence on a range of issues. Will she comment on why it was decided in the past week or so not to extend these provisions to the university sector? I wonder if doing so would affect the State's balance sheet, which might be the reason it is not being done. I would appreciate a clarification from the Minister of State in this regard.

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