Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is partially the case. It is our view, based on the legal advice we have, that the definition to be inserted in this legislation is too narrow compared with the existing definition. As the Senator will be aware, the Universities Act, the Technological Universities Act, the National College of Art and Design Act and the Institutes of Technology Act will travel with this legislation and a broader definition is already outlined, so that is the first challenge. The second challenge, which relates to a legal point on which I have been advised, is that this is the HEA Bill and its scope in regard to how it will interact relates to a consultative role, which does not, as the Senator will know better than I, fully capture in any way, shape or form everything a student union does and that we want it to do. There is, perhaps, an argument for separate legislation on students and student unions, but it is for those reasons we do not believe it resides here. There would be unintended consequences by narrowing our legal understanding of a student union.