Amendments Nos. 23, 24 and 25 are related to No. amendment No. 1. I suggest, therefore, that amendments Nos. 1, 23, 24 and 25 should be taken together.
Universities Bill, 1996: From the Seanad.
The Dáil went into Committee to consider amendments from the Seanad.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 1:
In page 6, between lines 35 and 36, the following inserted:
"(b) in relation to the appointment of a new governing authority after the suspension of a governing authority of a university under section 20 (4), the Visitor of that university,".
Seanad Éireann made these amendments relating to the suspension of the governing authority to address concerns expressed in Seanad Éireann. The effect of the amendments will mean the visitor will now consult with persons within the university, as well as the Minister, on the person or persons to act as the governing authority until the new governing authority is appointed. The visitor will ensure that a new governing authority is put in place as soon as practicable after suspension. The period of suspension, however, cannot exceed one year. Following the period of suspension the visitor will perform the functions of the commission in determining the composition of the new governing authority and will consult within the university while acting in this capacity. I propose that the House support these amendments.
We welcome an opportunity to discuss the amendments from the Seanad which, in addition to the amendments passed in this House, represent a significant and radical overhaul of the original Bill. I commend those who tabled amendments in the Seanad, particularly Senators Ormonde, Tom Fitzgerald, Lee, Norris and Henry. At the end of the process we have a much improved Bill. Regarding these amendments, we were of the view when the Bill was before us on previous occasions that the visitor's role should be strengthened and additional powers should be given. In that context we welcome these amendments.
A Cheann Comhairle, I take this opportunity to wish you well in your impending retirement and to thank you very much for the courtesy you have always extended to me and to other Members. The Chair has guided me during the past four and a half years and I thank him for that. I hope he will have a long and happy retirement. I am probably one of the last Members of this House to wish him well. I would not like to let this opportunity pass without expressing my deep gratitude and great appreciation.We are all extremely proud to have him as our representative in this House and abroad, of the way he has maintained the dignity of his office wherever he has gone and the manner in which he has established control over this House during the years. I hope I have not caused him too much trouble. I thank him for all he has done for Irish political life.
The Deputy is very kind as always. Her remarks are much appreciated.
I am glad to see there are even more amendments to the Bill from the Seanad. We had 20 hours of debate on amendments in select committee when we managed to amend the Bill considerably. Due to the great work of the other House I am glad a considerable number of additional amendments have been made, but I cannot let this opportunity pass without saying that if the Minister had listened more carefully to us initially we might not have to be back here again taking these amendments.
Amendment No. 1, which deals with the visitor's role, is sensible. There was a great deal of discussion about this matter in the other House. Agreement followed some persuading, but it is amazing what the power of democracy can do when, numerically speaking, one knows one is under pressure. Sometimes that can serve to change one's mind. I have no difficulty in supporting the amendment.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 2:
In page 7, line 30, after "Trinity", "of Queen Elizabeth" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 3:
In page 7, line 40, after "Visitor" where it secondly occurs "or Visitors" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 4:
In page 8, line 21, after "time to time", ", while they are institutions of higher education in receipt of moneys in accordance with the Higher Education Authority Act, 1971" inserted.
What does this involve?
It involves the HEA. There are only 37 amendments from the Seanad and I will comment on each of them if Members ask me to do so.
Seanad Éireann made this amendment to state that the Bill is to apply only to universities in receipt of moneys provided by the Higher Education Authority under the Higher Education Authority Act. The wording has been adopted on the recommendation of the parliamentary draftsman.It is consistent with the long title which outlines that the Bill applies to such publicly funded universities. I propose the House support the amendment. I agree with the Deputies that the outcome of the debate in select committee, even if it was 20 hours, was cross-party support for this Bill. The subject of this amendment was discussed in select committee.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 5:
In page 8, line 31, after "with", "the purpose and substance of" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I observe amendment No. 7 is related to amendment No. 6 and I suggest, therefore, we discuss amendments Nos. 6 and 7 together.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 6:
In page 9, lines 30 to 36 deleted and the following substituted:
"(1) If An tÚdarás considers that an educational institution or part of an educational institution should form part of a university, the Minister may by order made with the consent of the Minister for Finance, the institution concerned and the governing authority of the university, provide that the institution or part shall become and form part of the university, and on the making of the order it shall be so incorporated.".
Will the Minister outline the background to this amendment? It was my understanding under the Bill before us in select committee that an order would be laid before the Oireachtas. Is that still the case? I understood that before anything would be ultimately agreed, it would be laid before the House.
On amendment No. 6, the Higher Education Authority would take the initiative in recommending that an educational institution be incorporated into the university.
Amendment No. 7 provides that employees of the educational institutions that are incorporated into a university under section 8 can have no less favourable conditions of service. Those two issues were discussed at length in select committee.
That is in accordance with the spirit of our approach to the Bill from the outset that the conditions and terms of employment of employees would not be lessened in any way following the enactment of this Bill.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 7:
In page 9, between lines 40 and 41, the following inserted:
"(3) Subsections (3) to (6) of section 42 shall apply to the staff of an institution who immediately before the incorporation provided for in subsection (1) were employees of the institution and who become employees of the university on such incorporation, in the same way as they apply to persons employed by St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.".
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 8:
In page 9, lines 41 to 50 deleted, and in page 10, lines 1 and 2 deleted, and the following substituted:
"(1) The Government may, at any time, appoint a body, the membership of which shall be recommended by An tÚdarás and shall include international experts and national experts, including employees of universities to which this Act applies, to advise An tÚdarás on whether, having regard to the objects and functions of a university under sections 12 and 13, an educational institution should be established as a university.
(2) On the advice of the body and the recommendation of An tÚdarás, but subject to subsection (3), the Government may, by order, provide that the institution shall be a university for the purposes of this Act and, on the making of the order, it shall be established accordingly.".
The amendment provides that the education authority will be the body advised by the expert group and the Government can only act on the advice of the Higher Education Authority and the expert group in establishing a new university. However, the Government is not compelled to do so, but in doing so it will be on the advice of the expert group and the HEA.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 9:
In page 11, between lines 12 and 13, the following inserted:
"(d) to foster a capacity for independent critical thinking amongst its students,".
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 10:
In page 11, lines 13 to 15 deleted and the following substituted:
"(d) to promote the official languages of the State, with special regard to the preservation, promotion and use of the Irish language and the preservation and promotion of the distinctive cultures of Ireland,".
I was fighting a losing battle initially in trying to get a greater definition in the Bill of the role of the Irish language in university life. This amendment could be described as a genuflection in that regard. I wish the amendments were more proactive — a word I must delete from my vocabulary. I am glad my concerns in this regard were given some recognition.
I share the sentiments expressed by Deputy Keogh. There were many arguments in select committee in relation to this Bill dealing with the Irish language and many of those tabled by Deputy Keogh and me were rejected. The political realities of the Seanad had a good influence and we are glad this amendment has been tabled. It is regrettable that the overall approach of the Bill to the Irish language, one of the official languages of this State, is not consistent. It could have been better from the outset.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 11:
In page 12, line 8, after "collaborate", "with graduates, convocations of graduates and" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 12:
In page 12, lines 15 to 26 deleted and the following substituted:
"14.—(1) A university, in performing its functions shall—
(a) have the right and responsibility to preserve and promote the traditional principles of academic freedom in the conduct of its internal and external affairs, and
(b) be entitled to regulate its affairs in accordance with its independent ethos and traditions and the traditional principles of academic freedom, and in doing so it shall have regard to—
(i) the promotion and preservation of equality of opportunity and access,
(ii) the effective and efficient use of resources, and
(iii) its obligations as to public accountability,
and if, in the interpretation of this Act, there is a doubt regarding the meaning of any provision, a construction that would promote that ethos and those traditions and principles shall be preferred to a construction that would not so promote.
(2) A member of the academic staff of a university shall have the freedom, within the law, in his or her teaching, research and any other activities either in or outside the university, to question and test received wisdom, to put forward new ideas and to state controversial or unpopular opinions and shall not be disadvantaged, or subject to less favourable treatment by the university, for the exercise of that freedom.".
This is an interesting amendment. Debate on this issue began in select committee and continued in the Seanad with contributions from all parties including independent Senators. Seanad Éireann made the amendment in response to concerns expressed in both Houses and amendments proposed by a number of Senators to insert a separate section after section 13 dealing with academic freedom and institutional autonomy. The amendment has particularly benefited from the freedom of expression we enjoy within the House. The new section explicitly states that a university, in performing its functions, shall "have the right and responsibility to preserve and promote the traditional principles of academic freedom in the conduct of its internal and external affairs". The new section repeats what was in the original section 13 (3), which has now been deleted. The new section 14(2) provides that:
the academic staff of the university shall have the freedom, within the law, in [their] teaching research and other activities either in or outside the university, to question and test received wisdom, to put forward new ideas and to state controversial or unpopular opinions and shall not be disadvantaged, or subject to less favourable treatment by the university, for the exercise of that freedom.
If the universities find within themselves a forum for that, we can look forward to more academics joining this House.
This is an important improvement to the Bill. It is almost a carbon copy of amendments we tabled on Committee Stage, particularly the new subsection (2) dealing with the rights of members of academic staff to engage in research and, in the course of teaching and other activities, to be entitled to question the conventional wisdom of the day emanating from the State or the Government. Academics should be allowed to voice their opinions on controversial issues and many do so when it is not in accordance with the wishes of their collage authorities or the Government of the day. In the select committee I was told there was no need for such an amendment but it is necessary in the context of a Bill which endeavours to provide a modern legislative framework for our universities. We strongly fought to have it included on Committee Stage and it was regrettable that did not happen. It is an illustration of how numbers determine the wording of a Bill.
No, it was the quality of debate.
The current composition of the Seanad left it in a position to exercise considerable political leverage on the Minister, which resulted in considerable improvements to the Bill. Unfortunately we did not have the numbers in the select committee or in this House but at least our good friends and colleagues in the Seanad were able to force through changes.
This may be the most important amendment in that it guarantees the academic staff of universities academic freedom, which has been the core characteristic of our universities since their commencement.That freedom has served the country well and has been a positive characteristic of our democracy. We see evidence of this in those who have been nominated and elected to the Seanad from the universities. They have an independent spirit and have expressed viewpoints which have emerged through the Seanad into the public arena. Our national debate has been enriched by the contributions of academics throughout the land. We may not like what they say at times and certain remarks may grate on those in authority but this is a necessary method of opinion forming and an important contribution to our democratic process. I am delighted with the amendment and commend Seanad Éireann for giving effect to it.
I am pleased with the new section on academic freedom. As we said many times on Committee and Report Stages, this issue is of fundamental importance and it is essential to have it contained in this Bill. This amendment is much more comprehensive than those we put forward on Committee Stage, which shows us the benefit of the discussions in the other House. I am glad the Minister has been persuaded to include in the Bill this fundamental right in such a comprehensive manner.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 13:
In page 12, line 40, "38" deleted and "40" substituted.
This proposes to allow governing bodies of universities to contain up to 40 members. When the Bill was originally published it provided for 32 members, which was subsequently increased to 38. Why was it decided to fix the figure at 40 — was it to provide additional representation for county councillors?
If the Deputy reads the amendment in conjunction with amendments Nos. 16 to 18, inclusive, he will see why the figure was chosen. The proposal concerns the representation of county councillors. There was an interesting and passionate debate on this in the Seanad, in which support for county councillors serving in public office in this way crossed party lines. To ensure we did not reduce the number of county councillors on the larger governing bodies, we fixed a maximum figure of 40. The Deputy's party supported this proposal in the Seanad.
This amendment provided the most interesting debate on the Bill in the other House. It stressed the relevance of those of us who stand for public office, with or without political affiliation, because county councillors are close to the daily lives of our young people and those we hope will benefit, through their aegis, from the massive investment in universities and the modern framework of legislation. That role was well recorded by all parties in the Seanad and I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to say this. The maximum figure ensures that the number of county councillors need not be reduced.
We welcome the amendment. Senators Fitzgerald and Ormonde led our party's debate in the Seanad and this issue was close to their hearts. I am glad they and other Senators succeeded in thwarting different viewpoints. We should not the important role of county councillors and public representatives generally.
Democracy is about the will of the people. There is a tendency to undermine the role of public representatives at local level but they are democratically accountable to the people and must fact them for election. That introduces an important dimension to the activities of governing bodies and other institutions involved in decision making on behalf of the people. Those who do not have to go before the electorate on a regular basis can become complacent or arrogant, although not all do — there are notable examples in the Chamber at present. In the past the role of public representatives was gradually undermined, perhaps unwittingly. We must reassert the importance of electing people to public bodies because they are ultimately answerable for their actions.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 14:
In page 13, line 8, after "authority", ", one of whom shall be the senior officer having responsibility for academic affairs" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 15:
In page 13, line 36, after "organisations", "Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
Seanad amendments Nos. 16 to 18, inclusive are related. I suggest we discuss them together.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 16:
In page 14, line 47, "not less than two or more than five persons" deleted and "five persons" substituted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 17:
In page 15, line 7, "not less than two or more than five persons" deleted and "eight persons" substituted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 18:
In page 15, line 13, "not less than two or more than five persons" deleted and "seven persons" substituted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 19:
In page 15, line 26, "the university" deleted and "Trinity College" substituted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 20:
In page 18, line 2, after "committees", ", consisting either wholly or partly of members of the governing authority," inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 21:
In page 18, lines 11 and 12 deleted, and the following substituted:
"(a) have regard to the promotion and use of the Irish language as a language of general communication and promote the cultivation of the Irish language and its associated literary and cultural traditions.".
This is another example of an amendment which could have been accepted on Committee Stage in this House. Deputy Keogh tabled a similar amendment on Committee Stage. I note, with some regret, that our views on the Irish language were not listened to in this House. However, I welcome the amendment, particularly the specific references to using the Irish language as "a language of general communication" and promoting "the cultivation of the Irish language and its associated literary and cultural traditions". It is important for the universities to have that in their terms of reference and as part of their objectives.
I welcome this amendment. I also welcome amendment No. 15, which was the subject of some discussion on Committee Stage in this House. These amendments improve the Bill. While the Minister may have listened more to the other House than to this one, at least we have gone some way towards establishing what we wanted.
This is one of the amendments concerning the Irish language. I thank Senator O'Toole who proposed a wording for many of the amendments which reflected the level of enthusiasm shown for the Irish language on Committee Stage in the Dáil. There were no dissenting voices on any of the amendments which concerned the Irish language. The level of debated on Committee Stage in the Dáil influenced the amendments which were tabled in the Seanad and I am glad I could accept them.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 22:
In page line 18, line 22, after "State", "and to respect for the diversity of values, beliefs and traditions in Irish society" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 23:
In page 19, from and including "for such períod" in line 27, down to and including "so doing" in line 29 deleted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 24:
In page 19, line 32, after "Minister", "and such persons within the university as the Visitor considers appropriate" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 25:
In page 19, lines 40 to 46 deleted and the following substituted:
"(6) The Visitor shall, as soon as practicable, but in any case not later than 12 months, after the suspension of a governing authority, following consultation with such persons within the university as the Visitor considers appropriate, determine the composition of the new governing authority and, by notice in writing, inform the Minister of the composition as so determined.
(7) On the Minister being informed as provided in subsection (6), the governing authority shall be so constituted as so determined, in accordance with Chapter II.".
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 26:
In page 21, between lines 6 and 7, the following inserted:
"(ii) the Chancellor of the University of Dublin, or a nominee of the Chancellor,".
Will the Minister clarify this amendment?
Seanad Éireann made this amendment in response to concerns expressed regarding the Chancellor of the University of Dublin and the role of the holder of that office in a commission for Trinity College. We agreed with this but, of course, we are looking forward to Trinity College bringing forward its own private Act. In the event of that happening, such a role will not arise. We do not envisage such a role but we wanted to acknowledge the importance of the Chancellor of the University of Dublin.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 27:
In page 21, lines 14 to 17 deleted and the following substituted:
"(i) the chief officer (by whatever name known) of the institution holding office immediately before its establishment as a university,
(ii) the senior officer of the institution having responsibility to the chief officer for academic affairs, holding office immediately before its establishment as a university,
(iii) such members of the governing body (by whatever name known) of the institution holding office immediately before its establishment as a university as the Minister determines after consultation with that governing body and".
Will the Minister give us the background to this amendment?
This amendment was made in response to concerns expressed regarding the membership of the commission for a new university established under section 9. Section 9 will allow new institutions to apply for university status. The word "university", and all it stands for, will now be statutorily protected. There were long discussions in both Houses on section 9. This amendment concerns the membership of the commission established under that section.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 28:
In page 22, line 50, after "officer", "and shall provide for the tenure of officers" inserted.
Does this amendment guarantee tenure?
Genuine concerns were expressed about this matter. While I maintained stoutly at all times that there was no necessity for people to have fears about their future tenure, because of the disquiet which was relayed to me I had no difficulty in accepting this amendment. The amendment provides that the statute to be made under section 24(6) would provide for the tenure of officers.
It is a very welcome and necessary amendment.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 29:
In page 23, between lines 23 and 24, the following inserted:
"25. (1) A governing authority shall establish procedures for the resolution of disputes which arise in the university, other than disputes to be dealt with through normal industrial relations structures operating in the university or appeals conducted in accordance with section 25 (2) (e).
(2) Procedures established under subsection (1) shall—
(a) be specified in a statute,
(b) be established following consultation with trade unions and staff associations representing employees of the university and with the students union or other student representative body, and
(c) provide for consideration of issues in dispute by an independent person or persons, as appropriate, one of whom, in the case of a constituent university, shall be a nominee of the Chancellor of the National University of Ireland.
(3) Subsections (1) and (2) shall not apply to Trinity College.".
I welcome this amendment. There was a great deal of debate on Committee Stage in the Dáil on the role of the visitor in resolving internal disputes in universities. The provision to bring in an independent person to arbitrate in and resolve disputes is a very welcome development which strengthens the Bill. There have been disputes in various universities over the years which, in some instances, undermined their public profile.
Question put and agreed to.
Amendments Nos. 30 and 31 are related and both may be discussed together by agreement.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 30:
In page 24, lines 11 to 19 deleted and the following substituted:
"(1) The majority of members of the academic council shall be members of the academic staff of the university and, subject to subsection (2), the numbers, composition, selection, appointment and terms of office of members shall be provided for in a statute, which statute shall contain provisions for the inclusion on the academic council of—
(a) the senior member of staff having responsibility to the chief officer for each academic discipline, school or department as the governing authority determines, or, in the case of Trinity College, the senior member of staff having responsibility to the chief officer for each faculty,
(b) members from what, in the opinion of the governing authority, is an appropriate range of levels of other academic staff from an appropriate range of academic disciplines and
(c) an appropriate number of students.".
Will the Minister elaborate on this amendment?
The purpose of this amendment is to provide for a revised composition of academic councils and to have the effect of the registrar, as well as the chief officer, having automatic membership of the academic council. It satisfies some concerns which were expressed.
These issues were strongly debated on Committee Stage in this House and, while they could not be resolved at that time, were subsequently resolved in the Seanad. I realise that people can be influenced by the very stimulating and creative debate in the Seanad, where some very good contributions were made on this Bill on both sides of the House. However, one could draw the conclusion that, in addition to the stimulating, creative and influential arguments put forward by Senators, the numbers in the Seanad concentrated the Minister's mind.
Historically, there has always been a trend of Ministers opposing amendments for the sake of it. However, many of these amendments which were accepted in the Seanad were strongly opposed by the Minister in this House. I know it was a long debate, but the Minister got quite tetchy at times and said there was no need for several amendments which she subsequently accepted in the Seanad. That illustrates the trend of Ministers being reluctant to accept amendments in the Dáil because of a nation that to do so would represent capitulation or a concession. However, when numbers dictate otherwise in the Seanad, Ministers can suddenly find the wherewithal and flexibility to accept amendments which could not be accepted a month earlier. I pay tribute to the Senators for using the leverage at their disposal because it has resulted in a better Bill.
This amendment, particularly in so far as it relates to the academic council, is very important. Considerable concerns were expressed by the academic staff of many universities about their fear of losing a degree of involvement in the academic policy of the university and the dilution of their role in that regard. The amendments aim to improve their position vis-à-vis the academic council. The registrar is also included in the amendment. This was proposed, but rejected, on Committee Stage.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 31:
In page 24, lines 30 and 31 deleted and the following substituted:
"(3) The chief officer and the senior officer of the university responsible to the chief officer for academic affairs, shall be, ex officio, members of the academic council.”
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 32:
In page 25, lines 16 and 17, "promotion of the Irish language and cultures" deleted and "promotion and use of the Irish language and the promotion of Irish cultures" substituted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 33:
In page 27, lines 24, after "and", ", where appropriate," inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 34:
In page 27, line 29, "provisions" deleted and "provision" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 35:
In page 36, line 24, after "occasioned", "as soon as practicable" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 36:
In page 37, line 29, after "interest", "provided that nothing in this paragraph shall restrict a member from representing at meetings of the governing authority the views of those by whom he or she has been elected or to restrict the freedom of expression of that member" inserted.
The purpose of this amendment is to ensure there will be no restriction on a member of a governing authority representing at meetings of the governing authority the views of those by whom she or he had been elected. This gave rise to concern in a number of institutions. Freedom of expression of members is underpinned in the section, while recognising that they can represent the views of those by whom they have been elected. It is a good amendment.
The amendment owes much to the campaigning zeal of the staff members of the University of Limerick who were relentless in pursuing this issue. At the outset of this debate we identified the democratic nature of the universities as being central to their future role. Members of governing bodies are democratically elected and they represent specific faculties within universities and specific interests, be they of students, academic or non academic staff, etc.
When the Bill was published there was a view that an attempt was being made to eradicate this democratic dimension to university life and that the new governing bodies would be similar to semi-State boards or corporate bodies, where they would not be answerable. Members of governing bodies were told this would be their future position. This is why the staff members of the University of Limerick were anxious to have the amendment accepted. It accords with my view on the importance of democracy and accountability to university life, provided that those with responsibility act in the best interests of the university.
Question put and agreed to.
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 37:
In page 38, line 15, after "members", "or any deficiency in the election or appointment of a member which may subsequently be discovered" inserted.
Question put and agreed to.
Amendments reported and agreed to.
I take this opportunity, Sir, to thank you for the kind and courteous manner in which you have dealt with me throughout your tenure in office, especially since I was appointed to my party's Front Bench. You displayed great tolerance towards me during the last two and a half years. While I was a backbencher you were very accommodating in terms of Adjournment debates, etc.
You have brought great dignity to the Office of Ceann Comhairle. Many people throughout the country are saddened that you will be vacating the office when the general election is called. Your successor will have a hard act to follow because you have displayed great dignity and have upheld the office with great grace.
Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.
We have concluded an interesting legislative programme. When I was elected to the House I was appointed to the Government Front Bench. Your guidance, Sir, and your willingness to use your office to protect me as a new Minister from the over enthusiasm of the Opposition Benches allowed me to survive. I wish to be associated with the good wishes to you. Go raibh míle maith agat.
Go raibh maith agatsa. Gurab amhlaidh duit.