Incidentally it's a similar setup for .edu, which is run through the edu-servers.net domain (registered via dotster to a real person), which is subject to the standard TLD glue that should make changes a little harder than regular domain hijacking.
Incidentally mod.uk has a nameserver pointing to ns1.cs.ucl.ac.uk. I wonder if there are many other domains that use academic resources.
UCL's CS dept were in at the start of the internet - they used to manage the old x500 network and the .gb domain and invented a bunch of the domain management stuff.
I would probably trust them to get it right more than whatever nominet are calling themselves today
the old .ie TLD used to be run by UCD (a college here in Dublin) and indeed the ie nameservers, even now, list a variety of nameservers of 3rd parties, including Esat (a company acquired by BT) and netsource (which was acquired by Magnet in 2006) as well as a dec.com domain.
Up until about 2004, domains here in Ireland were being sold for extortionate amounts of money compared to other TLD's (100 euros a pop from the registry). There was some scandal regarding the body running the registry and the head of the body Michael Fagan was essentially forced to resign circa 2002
Incidentally mod.uk has a nameserver pointing to ns1.cs.ucl.ac.uk. I wonder if there are many other domains that use academic resources.