Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I intend to speak for only one minute.

While I very much welcome the Bill because I believe we need reform in higher education, I in fact was a member of a higher education governing body and never attended a meeting. You might ask why would I be proud of that. I did it because I was an automatic member as the Lord Mayor. It is a terrible way of governance of any institution to have automatic members and I welcome the Bill because it reforms that system.

I have been asked to put on the record of the House the concerns of some institutions that the Bill could create a transfer window. Where we end the governing bodies all at the same time, there will be significant competition in the sector by different institutions to fill all of the places.

We could consider allowing the current governing bodies to serve out their terms and, in an ordinary way over time, those new structures would be taken up. The Bill will also remove many councillors from governance structures here, which is important because that kind of system is not fit for purpose but there should be an alternative structure that allows councillors to have a role and input into how these governing bodies operate.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his discretion.

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