Results 3,881-3,900 of 5,873 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for being so understanding as there was much confusion at the start. The preferred option for me is amendment No. 3 but I ask my colleagues not to force a vote on this today but rather allow the Minister of State to discuss this with her officials before dealing with it, perhaps on Report Stage. We must clearly define what we mean by a student union. It...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: In response to my colleague, Senator Ó Céidigh, he is 100% correct. I have worked through the institutes of technology as president of the TUI. I never encountered anything but co-operation in the institutes but the amendment is to ensure that there will be no undue influence at any time in the future. I know most of the people in office now. I have worked with them and their...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Without conspiracy theories, we would be nowhere. The amendment is in no way a slight on the management of the colleges; it is merely insurance for the future.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: It was a period of stability in the college.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The institutes of technology have been working hard since 2012 toward the amalgamation. They have gone overboard in facilitating trade unions and student representation in the merging process. There has been massive investment by the institutes in making sure they got everybody on board. They have worked hard with my former trade union, the Teachers Union of Ireland, to ensure they brought...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I always had misgivings about changing the titles of the institutes of technology. I had a difficulty when they changed from regional technical colleges to institutes of technology. Now we are moving to the next stage to technological universities. I always felt, as someone who had come late to education, that by putting in the word "university", we made it another exclusive institution....

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I second the amendment. The amendment proposes to make a technical change. The addition of the proposed wording would broaden the capacity of the technological university to include creative arts. Perhaps this would be done under the entrepreneurial heading but we tend to think of entrepreneurial as having only a business application. Including the words "creative" and "innovative" would...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I want a little clarification. Is it the case that Senator Norris intends to bring back an amendment on Report Stage? If he does, if we push a vote on this today, that is it and it is over as far as I am aware. It would be dead in the water. If Senator Norris intends to bring back an alternative to the wording that Senator O'Sullivan has tabled today, it would be wrong of us to push this...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I put forward two amendments which would have dealt with members of education and training boards, ETBs, which are currently involved in institutes of technology, and retaining membership on the boards of technological universities. It is sad that they were ruled out of order. That is nothing to do with the Minister of State and I know the Cathaoirleach is bound by rules, but going back to...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: A question which is bothering me is the appeals mechanism when something is ruled out of order.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Is it not the case that the proposer can put to the House-----

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Is it not something the proposer can put to the House and seek to have overruled?

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: That is interesting.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Were these not ruled out of order?

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: We are writing legislation that will be there long after us. It will be referred to by generations to come and there will be legal arguments over it, etc. It is just possible that a president of a technological university might not particularly like the president of the student union and might not want him or her anywhere near the academic council.The relevant line refers to such number of...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: This is the one area in which I will oppose the Minister of State 100%. She should consider what we believe today and what the man with the wig will interpret the relevant line to mean should it ever be tested. A dominant person in charge of a governing body could swing it towards doing what he or she wanted it to do and could, if he or she so wanted, exclude student representatives. The...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The excellent contribution of my colleague, Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell, has reassured me that I am 100% correct. In her final sentence, she indicated she doubted very much that there would be no student representatives on the academic council.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Having doubts that something will happen is not a guarantee that it will not happen. Long after I am pushing up daisies, some judge somewhere will make a ruling that there is no certainty in the relevant sentence of the Bill.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: That is too vague.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: He is the only person to have left Fianna Fáil more enlightened.