Liam Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and I welcome the bringing of this Bill to its conclusion in the Seanad. We were delighted to have this Bill initiated in the Seanad, and we noted on Second Stage that it represented another milestone in achievement for NUI, Galway, a very important one in the middle of the college's second strategic programme for development.

NUI Galway is very forward-looking and progressive and the obligations on it belonged to an era in the past. They were serving no useful purpose for the promotion of the Irish language or for enabling the college to reach out and realise its vision of the provision of excellence and the securing of the best talents and intellectual capacity available around the world, which will allow it to make a very worthwhile contribution to the economic and social development of this country. The university has made its mark in a very formidable way since the Act of 1929. The legislation is sensible and progressive and I am sure nobody in this House has any quibble with the amendment being introduced.

The Minister for Education and Science rightly brought forward an amendment which emphasises and puts into legislation the principal dimension of the promotion of the Irish language through NUI Galway courses and we welcome that. I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for the speedy progression of this legislation through Houses.