asked the Minister for Education whether he will make a statement on the reopening of the National College of Art, and on the position of the two teachers dismissed by him.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National College of Art.
61.
The National College of Art was reopened on Monday 6th December and the two teachers who were dismissed were reinstated on Tuesday 14th inst. The circumstances leading to their reinstatement are set out in the statement issued by me which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
The following statement is today being issued by the Government Information Bureau on behalf of the Minister for Education
Following representations from the industrial relations committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Minister for Education, having received, through congress, a statement that Miss Alice Hanratty and Mr. Paul Funge had withdrawn all statements made by them that might be construed as criticism of the professional staff of the National College of Art, and an undertaking by them that they would carry out all lawful instructions in relation to the duties assigned to them in the college, has decided to reinstate the two teachers in their part-time posts in the college as from 14th December until the new board to administer the college is established.
14 Nollaig, 1971.
May I congratulate the Minister on changing his mind, which I know is a difficult thing for anybody to do, on the question of taking back the teachers and may I express the hope that peace will prevail in the college and that the Minister will as soon as possible appoint the new board? Could he tell us when the board will be appointed? He will appreciate the effort we made in getting the Bill through the two Houses and I think we are entitled to know when the board will be appointed and that the college will operate under new management from January next. Can he guarantee us that?
May I change the atmosphere that is prevailing——
As I tried to do.
——by thanking the Deputy for his remarks and by saying that I will appoint the board as quickly as I possibly can but the Deputy will appreciate that it is not easy to get the type of personnel that I would like to put on the board. It will take some time.
Why not appoint an all-Protestant board?
Will the Minister say whether he has, in fact, reached the stage of having a list of names and seeking their acceptance? Has he reached that point and is the only thing holding it up getting people's agreement to membership?
No, not quite that. As the Deputy is aware and I think he would accept that this should be so, I am having consultations with as wide a variety of people as possible so that before I ultimately decide on the actual names I will have a fair idea of what the general feeling is among those with the greatest connection with the college.
Could the Minister give an indication as to how soon he will reach the stage of appointing people? There is concern about the urgency.
I will do it as quickly as possible.
Is it a matter of weeks rather than months?
Certainly weeks but probably into the New Year.
Could the Minister say when the elections will be held for students and staff representatives?
I am awaiting some information from the students as to the type of election they have in mind.
I have seen it stated that the Congress of Trade Unions actually moved in this matter. Is that right?
Yes.
We did not thank them for their intervention.
I expressed my appreciation of the work they did. In fact, it was in the statement issued.
62.
asked the Minister for Education what approved courses are currently being undertaken at the National College of Art; how many students are attending each year at each course; the dates on which each approval was given for each of these courses in their present form; and whether he will make available in the Library the dates of these approvals and of the courses approved.
The prospectus of the National College of Art is being made available in the Dáil Library. It contains particulars of the number of students attending each course.
These courses are approved each year by the college authorities when the college prospectus is being drawn up.
Could the Minister state whether there are approved courses for all of the night students or only some of them?
I think for all but I am not just certain of that.
Including casual students attending hobby courses?
I am not absolutely certain of that but I do know there are approved courses for night students.
The Minister would agree that it would be undesirable for people attending hobby courses there to be given a full vote if they go along once a week to study pottery or something of that kind?
I will look at that but I will leave this voting as wide as I possibly can.
To genuine students who are attending regularly four or five days a week.
No——
It is rather important that we should know that there is no question of giving spurious votes to people who go in once a week to study pottery but that voting will be confined to students attending approved courses of study and attending either five days a week or four or five nights a week.
I am not going to accept that. If they are following approved courses they will be entitled to vote.
Is the Minister suggesting that the electorate will be extended to people who drop in there for a course once or twice a week?
I am not going to say what exactly will be the position in relation to that but, if they are attending approved courses, they are students of the college.
Will the Minister not agree that he misled the House, then, if that is the case?
The Deputy is too fond of asserting that Ministers have misled the House.
He was quite clear when we discussed the question of students following approved courses that what was meant was students who are full-time students by day or attending regularly equivalent courses by night.
If my memory serves me right, we never went into that detail.
I think the Minister is being less than fair to the House if that is his attitude.
If Deputy FitzGerald has finished, I will call Question No. 63.