Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 590: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a board of governors should have meetings at a third level college without student representations; and if she will clarify this situation regarding the 1997 Education Act. [32534/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I presume the Deputy is referring to the 1997 Universities Act. Chapter II of the 1997 Universities Act refers to the governance of universities and, specifically, section 18 relates to the functions of the governing authority of a university. The provisions of the 1997 Universities Act relate to several specific third level institutions and, as the question posed by the Deputy does not refer to any specific institution, I am not in a position to say whether the provisions cover the situation as outlined in the query.

However, I have asked my officials to contact the Deputy directly so that it can be clarified whether the query refers to a particular institution. Once this clarification has been made, a response can be provided to the Deputy. In general terms, the following sections of the 1997 Universities Act, among others, relate to the subject matter of the Deputy's question. Section 18(c) confers upon universities the power to make statutes governing their operation, subject to their charters. Section 26 allows for dispute resolution mechanisms to be agreed, and this entails consultation with the students' union. Section 31 outlines a range of possible rights and responsibilities which may be included in a university's charter.