Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grants to Irish Language Periodicals. – Dáil Éireann (16th Dáil) – Tuesday, 10 Mar 1959

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grants to Irish Language Periodicals.

27.

Mr. Sherwin

asked the Minister for Education whether in view of the fact that considerable grants of public moneys are made by his Department to certain Irish language periodicals while other such periodicals receive no financial assistance from the State, he will, for the purpose of achieving uniformity in the payments of grants, (1) publish and issue regulations governing the procedure to be followed and the precise qualifications required by publishers who wish to apply for the grants, (2) ensure that on the rejection of an application for the grant it will be clearly indicated to the applicant what are the precise reasons for such rejection so as to enable the application to be renewed if so desired, and (3) set up a statutory body to administer the grants.

28.

Mr. Sherwin

asked the Minister for Education whether in view of the fact that there is a scheme to regulate the payment of public moneys by way of subsidy grant to publishers of newspapers circulating in Gaeltacht areas, which contain a certain specified minimum of Gaelic matter, he will state why no such clearly defined scheme has been established to regulate the payment of public moneys by way of subsidy grant to publishers of Gaelic periodicals, in the absence of which inequalities and discrepancies have arisen in the administration of moneys for this purpose.

Mr. Childers (for the Minister for Education)

With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together.

The money voted annually for grants to periodicals published in Irish and to newspapers publishing current news in Irish is payable for each of these purposes under conditions laid down by the Minister for Education with the consent of the Minister for Finance. In the case of the grants to newspapers there is one set of conditions for all applicants since the grant is payable for one purpose only. In the case of periodicals, as I have already informed the Deputy in reply to a question on 13th November, 1958, each application is considered separately but with due regard to the need for assistance, the type of periodical, the reading public served by it and the amount of money which it is possible to provide for this purpose annually. The State does not undertake to assist every Irish language periodical and, therefore, the question of the formulation of a general scheme does not arise. There is no foundation whatever for the suggestion that inequalities and discrepancies have arisen in the administration of moneys voted for grants to periodicals published in Irish.

With regard to Question No. 27 I have stated the basis on which grants are made to periodicals published in Irish. I do not propose to publish regulations as suggested by the Deputy or to set up a statutory body to administer these grants.

Mr. Sherwin

The citizen merely asks that the procedure be made known to him as to how he should go about looking for this grant. That has been denied. It rests solely with the Minister or some person appointed by him. This is something which has been done behind the scenes.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is the Deputy asking a question?

Mr. Sherwin

I am asking the Minister if he will agree to publish the procedure, so that this person, on whose behalf I am speaking, can make the necessary application. Will the Minister state the grounds for and against, so that he can make a further application?

Mr. Childers

I have already said it is not possible to publish the regulations in the case of periodicals.

Mr. Sherwin

I am not satisfied. The applicant is a person who publishes a periodical entitled Deirdre. This same person publishes another paper known as Aiseirighe, which is critical of the Government. While one is political, the other is not. Deirdre is merely a woman's paper. He is trying to help in the language revival.

Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Mar 1959