Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for attending. I wholeheartedly support her and her team regarding this Bill. It is a crucial Bill and reflects what happens in other parts of Europe. It is important to the regions of Ireland which, as the Minister of State will know, are close to my heart. I am very disappointed and a little annoyed by the comments of some of my colleagues to the effect that governing bodies, management or presidents of regional technical colleges, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and universities are undermining student unions. That is not true. I ask Members to withdraw their statements.

I am involved in NUIG and have been chairman of the business school board there. I am adjunct professor of entrepreneurship there. I have actually sat on the board of the student union in Galway and have never seen what has been described. All I have seen is very strong support from the authorities in third level institutions for students and student unions. They very much listen to students' views and contributions. I compliment the Minister of State on what she and her team are doing. I wholeheartedly support her.

There are people of great integrity present who are involved in the management of third level institutions and others whom I know who are not undermining student unions. The statement of some of my colleagues on students' unions is somewhat unfortunate. I am fully supportive of students' unions. I was actively involved in the students' union group when I was in college in my day. The union provides an incredibly good service. In some cases, the union was running some businesses that needed to be bailed out by the college authorities on various occasions. We have got to consider this in the balance. I fully support the Minister of State and hope my colleagues will do so also.