asked the Minister for Education if he will inform the Dáil why Professor O'Rahilly resigned from the directorship of the Institute of Advanced Studies; whether Professor O'Rahilly continues and intends to continue as senior professor in the School of Celtic Studies; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the School of Celtic Studies will not lose all the scholars of distinction originally attached to it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Resignation of Institute Director.
I would refer the Deputy to Article 14 of the Institute for Advanced Studies (School of Celtic Studies) Establishment Order, 1940, from which he will see that the appointment of the director of a constituent school of the institute is a matter for the governing board of the school, and that I have no functions or authority in connection with it. I have no official knowledge of the reasons given by Professor O'Rahilly to the governing board for resigning from the directorship of the School of Celtic Studies. He retains his position as a senior professor in that school, and I assume that his resignation of the directorship is in accordance with clause (4) of Article 14 of the Establishment Order, which provides that "the director of a school may at any time resign his office as such director without resigning his office as a senior professor".
Does the Minister seriously tell this House that as Minister for Education of this country he has not interested himself or is not concerned as to the reason why the director of the Institute of Higher Studies has resigned, when all Dublin is talking of the circumstances in which that resignation took place, and does he not think it in the best interests of all concerned that, if he has not even bothered to inquire as yet, he should inquire and inform the House: (1) as to whether there was any reason for the resignation of which the House should know; (2) whether it is intended to make any appointment in his place; (3) whether Professor O'Rahilly is going to retire from the board altogether, and (4) whether it was through Professor O'Rahilly's misconduct or some-body else's misconduct that this internal fracas has taken place in the Institute of Higher Studies? Surely the Minister for Education of the State ought to be interested. Are you interested? May I ask the Minister is he interested in this or is he leaving it to the Taoiseach?
As far as the Taoiseach is concerned, he would say this, and very quickly, that when the whole question of setting up the schools was before the Dáil his recollection is that Deputy Dillon and other Deputies were very anxious that matters concerning the institute would not be subject to discussion here and that they ought to be allowed for the present to do their own business in their own way, without the interference of Deputy Dillon.
I do not want to interfere at all. All I want to know is what has blown the roof off the institute. If you can tell us that, let them blow away for all I am concerned. Are you sure it was not interference that blew the roof off?