asked the Minister for Education if he will state the number of school children in Glengarriff district who were in receipt of grants for proficiency in the Irish language previous to recent examination; the number of such children who qualified at this examination, and the number who failed; further, if he is aware that there is considerable dissatisfaction amongst parents at the result of the recent examination; and if he will have inquiries made into this matter, with a view to reviewing the results in question.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grants for Proficiency in Irish.
The Deputy's question has reference to the bonus which may be paid to parents or guardians—resident in the Gaeltacht or Breac-Ghaeltacht—of each child between the ages of six and 16 years in attendance at a primary or a vocational school or as a day-pupil in a secondary school, in the Gaeltacht or Breac-Ghaeltacht. The bonus is payable in cases where the Minister is satisfied that Irish is the language of the child's home and that the child, in consequence, speaks Irish naturally and fluently, and payment is conditional on regular attendance by the pupil at school throughout the school-year.
The recent examination mentioned by the Deputy was that in respect of the 1945-46 school-year. In the previous year, 1944-45, application for the bonus was made by 12 parents in respect of 20 children attending Glengarriff National School, and the bonus was paid to six of these parents in respect of 12 children.
In the 1945-46 school-year applications were received from 7 parents in respect of 13 children. The bonus was granted to two of these parents in respect of five children. Of the five applications concerning eight children in respect of whom the bonus was not granted, the bonus had also been refused in the case of two households (two children) in 1944-45. In the other three cases (6 children) the bonus had been paid to the parents in 1944-45. As a result of investigations made in connection with the 1945-46 school-year, I was not satisfied, in the case of the eight children in respect of whom the bonus was refused, that Irish was the language of the homes in that school-year.