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

The concept of academic freedom - particularly for the staff of a third level institution, a university or a technological university - is so crucial and so important for democracy, freedom of thought, the development of ideas and social progress that to dilute the concept of academic freedom for staff by inserting student academic freedom, as the Members propose, would be wrong.

We should vote against the amendment to ensure that the academic freedom of staff is not diluted. However, as I have said, Fianna Fáil will support legislation on the recognition of students' unions. The concept of student academic freedom could be explored in that context and I would have no objection to it being done. However, academic freedom is so crucial to society that it should not be subject to a different regime in our technological universities than in the remainder of our third-level institutions. It is probably premature to pass the amendment. The matter should be the subject of separate legislation.

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