Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am. Here is the point around this. That is all fine; it is around the principle that if we put them into legislation and they form part of public policy, then there is an expectation that the Minister and an t-údarás will ensure that action is taken on them. If there is not action taken on them by the universities and an t-údarás, what should the Minister do? Should the Minister just say this institution is doing nothing to further SDG goals or gender quality and that he must respect the autonomy of the institution and not do anything?

In fairness to the Minister, there have been a number of key areas. I will instance the question of gender equity, which he and his predecessor, Ms Mary Mitchell O'Connor, have pushed quite strongly. They are positive examples of where public policy must be followed. It is key with this legislation. That is why we should stick to what we are talking about. Confusion is being deliberately perpetrated that this impacts on academic freedom; it does not.