Queen's University, Belfast, had provided a terrible example of what could happen when there was excessive interference by government in universities, Dr Mary Henry warned in the Seanad yesterday.
She was speaking on a Private Member's Bill to define a new structure for the board of Trinity College Dublin.
Queen's, Dr Henry said, was dismissing over 100 staff and closing departments because of what the British government described as a research assessment exercise. People in many departments were being graded on the number of papers they produced in scientific journals.
The Bill passed the second stage and was referred to a special committee of Dail and Seanad members.
Fellow Trinity member, Mr Shane Ross, said that while the Bill's provisions were generous in many respects, the measure still provided for the nomination of a Government appointee in consultation with the Provost of Trinity. This was just a fig leaf, because at the end of the day, the Minister would decide who the nominee would be. Mr David Norris (Ind) said it was an important and historic day and the Bill was generally welcomed by academics.
Referring to the latest proposed change in the foundation charter granted more than 400 years ago during the reign of Elizabeth I, Mr Norris said it had been pointed out to him by senior legal experts that, technically, Queen Elizabeth I's successor, Queen Elizabeth II, was the reigning monarch of this country.
With the abdication 62 years ago of the present queen's great uncle, Edward VIII, uncrowned, instruments had been passed at Westminster and sent to all the dominion and imperial parliaments for passing.
The instrument of abdication was never ratified by an Irish parliament and as a result the abdication process was incomplete. "Elizabeth II is, in fact, monarch of Ireland."