To ask the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware that the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction have refused to contribute their part of the necessary funds to the County Wicklow Technical Instruction Committee for the payment of the six whole-time Irish Teachers appointed by this body, notwithstanding the fact that the County Council and the Arklow and Wicklow Urban Councils have in each case carried out their undertakings and have raised the rate for the teaching of the National Language. Is he aware this Department, functioning under the British Government, had paid a bonus of £35 and a third per cent. additional remuneration during the past three sessions to part-time teachers of Irish under the County Wicklow Technical Instruction, and why are these teachers treated in a different manner under an Irish Government?
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. - PAYMENT OF IRISH TEACHERS IN COUNTY WICKLOW.
The Department's contributions to the scheme of Technical Instruction in County Wicklow this session will be on the same basis as for last session. The position is that as a result of increased contributions to the Scheme from local Councils, the committee are proposing to appoint six whole-time and fifteen part-time teachers of Irish, and they have asked the Department to provide the cost of living bonus to the whole-time teachers, and the temporary additional remuneration of 33? per cent., referred to in the question, to the part-time teachers. This proposal would raise the charge on the Department's funds from £700 paid for last session to £1,450. As, however, the Department's estimates for the current financial year were prepared before the appointments of the additional teachers now to be engaged were proposed, no provision was made for bonus to the six whole-time teachers, or for temporary additional remuneration to the new part-time teachers to be employed this session. No increase can now be made in the estimates, and the Department are not, therefore, in a position to undertake any further commitments. Last session five part-time teachers of Irish were engaged, and as the estimates made provision for the continued employment of that number this year, temporary additional remuneration will be paid by the Department in these five cases, which will be treated in the same manner as in previous sessions.