Sir - Your Education Correspondent's view on how the University Bill was handled by this Minister and her officials is, of course, a matter of his opinion. But might I suggest that Andy Pollak's excellent mastering of his brief on current education matters be augmented by a political briefing on matters that govern the passing of legislation?
In his recent, belated but welcome review of John Walshe's book, A New Partnership in Education, From Consultation to Legislation in the Nineties (Education & Living, May 11th), he fails to appreciate the political realities that governed the passing of the University Act, 1997.
It was only thanks to a new partnership that developed in Seanad Eireann that this piece of legislation was passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas. Thegovernment parties were actually in a minority in the Seanad (following the formation of the Rainbow Coalition in 1994). It was a tremendous achievement by the Leader of the Seanad, Senator Maurice Manning, to secure the necessary support for the Bill. His superb management of Seanad procedures, coupled with the positive response of the majority of the university senators to the legislative challenge and the willingness of the Minister to negotiate amendments led to the successful lobbying by the universities of the opposition and secured a decision from Fianna Fail not to oppose the Bill but allow for its enactment.
Finally, the suggestion by education correspondents that the Breathnach Education Bill could have been passed in this climate is politically naive, especially when the Fianna Fail Education spokesperson had declared his total opposition to the Bill and indeed had committed his party, in the Seanad and in the Dail, to repeal much of the Act on Fianna Fail's return to office. - Yours, etc. Niamh Bhreathnach, Former Minister for Education,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.