Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

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 bottom line is that it has to be written into the legislation that there be at least one student representative on the body. I will not press amendment No. 20 today and hope none of my colleagues will do so, but on Report Stage we will want some very convincing evidence that under absolutely no circumstances will an academic council find itself without a student representative. The provision will have to be iron clad. I do not see such a provision in the legislation.