I move amendment No. 1:
1. In page 2, line 15, after " institute," to insert " college, university ".
There will be a great deal of overlapping of functions of the various institutions and I am seeking to widen the definition of "institution" as much as possible. There is a fair bit of resentment of the proposal to establish this Board among existing semi-State bodies. They feel they are going to be interfered with in some way. The relationship with these semi-State bodies, such as the IIRS and Foras Forbartha, is not defined at all clearly. There is reference in section 4 to the fact that the statutory functions of other institutions will not be interfered with but I could envisage a situation where we will have a lot of semi-State bodies and educational institutions pulling in different directions. I would have thought that the principle the Minister was trying to establish was to have an overall controlling authority. Unfortunately, the Board being established is not being given the means to have a final say. The Board should be able to take and give directions within limitations and supply money to technological and scientific institutions of higher education. I have in mind the institute in Limerick which is one of the premier third level technological institutions in the country.
I would envisage a board such as this working in close harmony with the Institutes, and such harmony would be deepened if the Board were in a position to give money for specific purposes to a particular institute.
The Board also should be able to work with the universities. My purpose in the amendment is to tie the lot together. Unless the Board and the various institutes are prepared to pull together, there is not anything in the Bill to give the Minister or the Board power to lay down the law. There is no guarantee the Board and the institutes will work together and the amendments are designed to achieve that position. There should not be any overlapping.