asked the Minister for Education if it is his intention to publish an annual report giving details of the administration of the Department of Education, and, if so, if he will state how soon does he hope to publish it.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION-ADMINISTRATION DETAILS.
The following are the branches of administration of the Department of Education, as laid down by the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924:—
The Commissioners of National Education in Ireland.
The Intermediate Education Board for Ireland.
The Commissioners of Education in Ireland (Endowed Schools).
The Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools.
The Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland (business and functions relating to Technical Instruction only).
The College of Science.
The Geological Survey in Ireland.
The National Museum of Science and Art.
The National Library of Ireland.
The National Gallery of Ireland.
The Metropolitan School of Art.
Meteorological Services.
It has been customary for each of these branches to publish an annual report dealing with the particulars of its own work. I propose to continue this arrangement for the future. Reports in respect of the year 1923 in the case of the Endowed Schools and the Reformatory and Industrial Schools are at present available, and the reports on the other branches for the last annual period not already reported on, are at present in course of preparation.
If the Deputy wishes to suggest that the reports on the various branches should be published in one volume, I would like to point out that the cost of production would render the price of such a volume so high as probably to have the effect of preventing the reports on the different branches being accessible to those interested in them.
Does not the Minister think that there should be some co-ordination between reports on primary and secondary education, and that they should not be dealt with by the different departments?
I think that is possibly a fairly sound idea, but, as a matter of fact, we have the different departments, and it is hard to see how the report can be other than separate.
Does not the Minister's own Department exist for the purpose of co-ordinating these things?