Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is obviously important that there are views that are reflective of the arts, humanities and social sciences community as well as the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, community but also increasingly the interdisciplinarity of research whereby we are not just appointing people because they come from a particular background.

The purpose of this new agency is to promote and develop research and innovation in Ireland. The individuals who sit on it are not there as representatives of some sector. They are there to contribute to Ireland Inc. through their particular roles. We have seen this in the past. In fact, the Irish Research Council, IRC, is itself a merger of what was formerly the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences and Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology, indeed, two research councils that were set up by then then Minister for Education and Science, Micheál Martin.The Minister will be aware that Ministers who take an interest in this role tend to go on to greater things. That was a very successful merger with the IRC and I am confident that the merger that will take place between the IRC and SFI will also be successful.

On the point raised by Senator Higgins, we should not just assume that research takes place within higher education institutions. Much of it takes place within other State agencies, but also in industry and some voluntary organisations within the wider community. While a lot of the purpose of this agency will focus on research in universities and higher education institutions, it is about building a research infrastructure and the board, therefore, must reflect that wider purpose. The reason the Minister's Department was established in the first place, it being a Fianna Fáil creation, was not to be an administrative Department simply to deal with every sectoral interest within the further and higher education sector. It was essentially established as a Department for the future, looking at how we prepare Ireland to meet the challenges for the future and how that would be done through further and higher education and research, innovation and science. That is what this agency is about. I am concerned that we could look to be too prescriptive in respect of whom we appoint to the board. As far as I am concerned, the people who need to be appointed to the board are the people who will drive the research agenda for Ireland, make this the best place in which research can be carried out and make the case to Government around the supports that are necessary for the research sector. Of course, there should be engagement with all of the relevant stakeholders and parties and consideration of their being represented, but I am certainly concerned about an amendment which would provide that half of the authority would be "active researchers and innovators". Even within that, there can be a debate as to precisely what that means and where these researchers and innovators are located.

On Senator Higgins's point around engagement with the relevant Oireachtas committee, consideration might be given to some way of giving, not necessarily an approval of the chair, but certainly whenever he or she is appointed that they would present and speak to the agenda. There certainly could be more balance within the legislation around the direct engagement by the agency and so on. I would be happy for that to be fleshed out. As regards the board, however, boards are not there to be reflective of the representative groups. Rather, they are there to achieve the best results for research in Ireland.