Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

On Committee Stage, Senator Barrett expressed some concern regarding the provisions relating to the appointment of members of the appeals panel. In particular, he stated that the requirement that members of the appeals panel should have "a special interest or expertise in, or knowledge of, the functions of the Authority" was too narrow. The Senator suggested that members should also have knowledge of educational matters more generally. The purpose of amendment No. 4 is to address Senator Barrett's concerns by inserting the phrase "education and training" into the relevant subsection, thereby ensuring members may also have a special interest or expertise in, or knowledge of, education and training more generally.