Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

My intention in tabling the question was to find out facts, so I do not really have anything to debate, although I do have a request. Will the Minister engage with the chairs to see whether they will meet the soon-to-be-formed postgraduate workers’ organisation as the body that will represent PhD researchers? If the Minister has not met representatives of an earlier iteration of this group, I strongly suggest he do so. They are an incredibly engaged, active and willing people who are seeking to broaden and expand who gets access to research, especially among postgraduates such as PhD students, which has, regrettably, tended to be an exclusive domain. Widening that franchise will be very important in getting the most out of research in this country in a way that will benefit all of us.

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