The matter I wish to raise is of great interest and curiosity to my colleagues as well as I would suggest to a wider educational circle. There has been a new governing body in University College, Cork since 1 February, and there have been new governing bodies in the other constituent colleges. I know that Senator Fitzgerald, who is here, has some interest in that matter. I am primarily concerned with UCC but my remarks also apply to University College, Dublin and University College, Galway.
These governing bodies are made up of a wide range of representatives who are elected and nominated in different ways, some of the graduates — I had the honour to be on that panel in University College, Cork — and some by the academic body, by the professors, and so on. Since the enactment of the Universities Act, 1908, the Government have been represented on these bodies. In University College Cork, for example, traditionally the Government appointed the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork and, over the past 20 years, a student who was generally the President of the Students' Union.
In the present governing body which assembled for the first time in mid-February, there is no Government representation, which is quite extraordinary. As far back as last September, our college formally notified the Government that there would be a new governing body but no nominees were appointed by the Government. That body have been meeting since February and my contention is that although we are validly constituted we are not fully constituted.
My information is that University College, Cork, and I am sure the other colleges as well, have made frequent representations to the Government reminding them of the need to appoint their nominees. This is quite unprecedented, and it is particularly regrettable that there has been no student representation for the period since 1 February and even before that. This is bad because students are supposed to have a voice on matters such as fee increases and so on.
I simply want to know the reason for the Government's inaction in this case. Admittedly, there have been three Ministers for Education in quick succession and the Government have a lot on their plate, but surely it would take only a couple of minutes either to reappoint the two bishops and the student, or if there is some other intention — and rumour has it that the Government intend to replace the traditional nominees by business people — why do they not do so? It seems quite extraordinary that they have not acted.
I want to make it clear that my concern is with the student vacancy. I do not stay awake at night worrying about whether the bishops should be reappointed — that is not the point I wish to make. I would welcome any acceptable nominees of the Government but it is extraordinary, discourteous, and negligent on the part of the Government not to have made these appointments. They seem to take the attitude, "We are the Government, we give the universities 70 per cent of their grants and, therefore, we can afford to treat them with contempt and dangle them on a string", but that is not good enough. I look forward to hearing the Minister's reply on this matter.
