Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators. As Senator Higgins rightly points out, this amendment needs to be seen in the context of more substantive amendments that come up later in the Bill in respect of the constitution and composition of the board of an t-údarás. I believe these new definitions are not necessary as it is not specified in respect of the membership of the board of an t-údarás whether a member is an academic member. The board is a competency-based board and the competencies required are set out in section 16(2)(a). It is not a requirement to hold an academic post to be a member of an t-údarás. I think that is probably an area where we have a disagreement that comes up later in the Bill. Considering we intend for the HEA board to be a competency-based board and not to define its membership as an academic or trade union member or the likes, I therefore do not see why I would define "academic member" in section 2.