Education Act 1994 in Northern Ireland

an association of the generality of students at an establishment to which this Part applies whose principal purposes include promoting the general interests of its members as students; or

a representative body (whether an association or not) whose principal purposes include representing the generality of students at an establishment to which this Part applies in academic, disciplinary or other matters relating to the government of the establishment.

the generality of undergraduate students, or graduate students, at the establishment; or

the generality of students at a particular hall of residence of the establishment.

constituent or affiliated associations or bodies which are themselves students’ unions within subsection (1) or (2), or

representatives of such constituent or affiliated associations,

any association which the generality of students, or of students of that description, may join, whether or not it has in membership a majority of them, and

any association which would fall within paragraph (a) if the references there to students were confined to full-time students;

the union should have a written constitution;

the provisions of the constitution should be subject to the approval of the governing body and to review by that body at intervals of not more than five years;

a student should have the right—

and students who exercise that right should not be unfairly disadvantaged, with regard to the provision of services or otherwise, by reason of their having done so;

appointment to major union offices should be by election in a secret ballot in which all members are entitled to vote;

the governing body should satisfy themselves that the elections are fairly and properly conducted;

a person should not hold sabbatical union office, or paid elected union office, for more than two years in total at the establishment;

the financial affairs of the union should be properly conducted and appropriate arrangements should exist for the approval of the union’s budget, and the monitoring of its expenditure, by the governing body;

financial reports of the union should be published annually or more frequently, and should be made available to the governing body and to all students, and each such report should contain, in particular—

the procedure for allocating resources to groups or clubs should be fair and should be set down in writing and freely accessible to all students;

if the union decides to affiliate to an external organisation, it should publish notice of its decision stating—

and any such notice should be made available to the governing body and to all students;

where the union is affiliated to any external organisations, a report should be published annually or more frequently containing—

and such reports should be made available to the governing body and to all students;

there should be procedures for the review of affiliations to external organisations under which—

there should be a complaints procedure available to all students or groups of students who—

which should include provision for an independent person appointed by the governing body to investigate and report on complaints;

complaints should be dealt with promptly and fairly and where a complaint is upheld there should be an effective remedy.

the code of practice currently in force under subsection (3),

any restrictions imposed on the activities of the union by the law relating to charities, and

where the establishment is one to which section 43 of the M1Education (No.2) Act 1986 applies (freedom of speech in universities and colleges), the provisions of that section, and of any code of practice issued under it, relevant to the activities or conduct of the union.

information as to the right referred to in subsection (2)(c)(i) and (ii), and

details of any arrangements it has made for services of a kind which a students’ union at the establishment provides for its members to be provided for students who are not members of the union.

in relation to an association or body which is a students’ union by virtue of section 20(1), the reference is to all students at the establishment;

in relation to an association or body which is a students’ union by virtue of section 20(2), the reference is to all undergraduate, or all graduate, students at the establishment or to all students at the hall of residence in question, as the case may be;

in relation to an association or body which is a students’ union by virtue of section 20(3), the reference is to all the students who by virtue of section 20(1) or (2) are comprehended by that expression in relation to its constituent or affiliated associations or bodies.