A private Bill sent to the Oireachtas by the board of Trinity College which would have allowed outside representatives to sit on its board is to be withdrawn. This decision follows a ruling from the University Visitors - the Chancellor of Trinity, Dr Frank O'Reilly, and Mr Justice Henry Barron - who are responsible for ensuring that the college is run in accordance with the rules.
The Bill was sent in response to the policy of the previous government that Trinity should have representatives of the Minister for Education and other outside interests on its board, and that the ownership structure of the college should be changed.
However last Friday, Dr Sean Barrett, a fellow of the College, appealed the decision to the Visitors. Yesterday the Visitors said that a further ballot of fellows and scholars should take place before the end of January. In the last ballot a majority of fellows voted in favour of the changes, while the scholars voted against.
While calling for a fresh ballot, the Visitors rejected both grounds of the appeal, which were that the board had no power to present such a Bill, and that the manner in which it was given permission to present the Bill was irregular.
Ruling that a further ballot take place, the Visitors said: "We have decided that the reputation of this great institution can bear more easily the action we propose than the possible stain arising from a belief, wrongly held, that the measures sought are being imposed by the board on the majority."