Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The issue has been discussed and debated. I am sure that it will continue to be discussed and debated further.

Amendments Nos. 20 and 21 refer to academic freedom for both staff and students in the objects of an t-údarás. Amendment No. 21 seeks to insert "and protect" after the word "respect. This section is the appropriate place to include this because academic freedom is set at a high level in terms of functions, which can have the appropriate effect elsewhere. There have been and will be debates on it going in and from my perspective, we will come to that. The equality statement performs a specific function but it is important to recognise that both staff and students, I have in mind some PhD. students, do really important, transformative and challenging work. For example, human rights work is being done in different institutions such as the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUIG, as well as work being done on front-line human rights defenders in Trinity College, Dublin, and elsewhere.