Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I note Senator Higgins has removed amendment No. 55. I fully agree with her on the principle of using the Public Appointments Service. It is used already in respect of the board and it will be used in the future. It is the policy intent to use it. We just do not believe it is appropriate to put the Public Appointments Service, PAS, into primary legislation. Processes can evolve and names can change and so forth, but the Public Appointments Service should always be used for the appointment of people to the board of the HEA. I do not disagree with the Senator in that regard, obviously with the exception potentially of the student representative seat.

With regard to trade unions, I thank Senator Boylan for acknowledging that we worked together in the Lower House to strengthen trade union representation throughout the legislation and to make it more visible in a number of places. My position on the HEA board is that it is a competency-based board, not a representational board. It is absolutely open to members of trade unions to apply and to ICTU to put people forward through the PAS process. It is important that the PAS process is used and that the Minister of the day can operate within that framework.