Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the House for its consideration of this crucial legislation on higher education. Some Senators will be disappointed that amendments on student representation, the structure of the governing body and various other elements were not accepted, but my officials and I considered those matters long and hard. Indeed, many officials have been considering this matter down the years, including Ms Deirdre McDonnell, Ms Aoife Conduit, Mr. Gavan O'Leary, Mr. Hugh Geoghegan, Ms Mary Doyle, Mr. Micheál Lenihan, Mr. John McDermott and Mr. Stephen Manning. They have put hours of work into this and we have debated the matter over and back in my office. We have tried to amend the Bill and strengthen those elements that were perceived to be weaknesses or flaws. I assure the House that the Bill is constructive in terms of the issues raised. More appropriate non-legislative approaches and structures can and will be pursued to ensure that certain of the concerns raised will be considered and addressed.

I hope that the Bill will, in the most positive sense, be looked back on as a sea change in the higher education landscape. I thank Senators and my colleagues in the Dáil for what we have done. I truly believe that this is about the students and the opportunities that it will open up for them across the country. I commend the Bill to the House.