Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Although amendment No. 54a is mine, I will not press it. It concerns the nature of the membership of an t-údarás. The key point is that an t-údarás is not a representative body in the sense of people being drawn from different sections, but it is important that those who sit around the table have a specific knowledge of a range of fields relating to education. In that regard, it is essential, as has been normal custom and practice, that at least one member of an t-údarás, if not a number of members, would have international higher educational experience for comparative purposes but also in terms of the academic environment within which they work. Like all boards, the role of this board is to function collectively. People should not be there simply to represent the sectors from which they come. That said, it is important that there is a broad range of experiences and that would obviously include international experience.