Cavan): I move:
That a sum not exceeding £46,190,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1975, for Secondary Education.
Excess Vote, 1972-73. - Vote 30: Secondary Education.
On subheads A.1 and A.2 I want to appeal to the Minister, through the Parliamentary Secretary, to pay the recently announced increases in this academic year, that is the academic year 1974-75 before the 31st July, that is the end of the school year in the secondary calendar. I told the Minister in the House that we have been bombarded with letters about this. It is a very important issue. It was also suggested that the very high rates of interest which those schools are paying should be paid by the Department pending the first payment next October. I appeal strongly to the Parliamentary Secretary to ask the Minister to do this.
Is there a question of a 5 per cent increase in salary to secondary teachers in dispute at the moment? If so, what is the present state of play on that? On subhead F, the courses for secondary teachers, a sum of £90,000 was allocated from April to December, 1974 and £10,000 is allocated for 1975. I know the type of course that is covered by this. Senator Martin, in another place, made a plea for the restoration of this. This kind of penny pinching in important matters deserves condemnation from this side of the House and will get it. Is there an element of remedial training also involved in subhead F? The details are given but there is no comment where there is a big drop in the grant. The officials that composed it are ashamed of it and they do not comment at all.
Taking the last question posed by the Deputy the answer is in the affirmative. The situation in relation to the first matter raised by the Deputy, the capitation grants, is that the Minister introduced very substantial increases in the capitation grants of 50 per cent recently and in the grants in lieu of tuition from £35 per pupil to £50 per pupil. The grant in lieu of tuition is the larger of the two and is being paid in the current year.
It is not. No payment on foot of the increases will be made during this academic year.
It is being paid in relation to the current year's enrolment.
That means that the grant in lieu of fees at the amount before the increase is being paid in this year. That is all that means.
The grant in lieu of tuition, if I understand it, is paid in relation to the enrolment in the year.
That is true but for the academic year 1974/75 it is being paid at the old rate, not the increased rate. I am asking for the increased rate.
That was announced. Very substantial increases were brought about in both these grants to secondary schools and looking back at the figures for increases since these grants were introduced in the case of tuition fees in 1968 the rate of increases have been far greater in the tenure of office of the present Minister than in the tenure of office of the previous Minister.
I do not want to be controversial in relation to this, but this is the Minister's propaganda and it is unworthy of the Parliamentary Secretary, who is a sensible man. There was no grant in lieu of fees until the Fianna Fáil Government established it.
Am I to take it that the increased grants will be paid for the current year? Every Deputy is inundated with letters about this. I want to add my voice to that of our spokesman. The secondary schools are in a bad way for money at the moment. The Catholic Headmasters' Association have been on to all Deputies about this. I appeal to the Parliamentary Secretary to ask the Minister to pay the increase in the current academic year.
Payments on the basis of the increased rate will be made during this calendar year.
That is another bit of deft footwork. The Parliamentary Secretary did not make any comment about the percentage matter.
I am not aware of any problem in relation to this.
Is there no problem about the 5 per cent increase to secondary teachers?
I am not aware of it.
There is according to the newspapers.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary saying there is no such problem?
I said what I said.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary assuring me that there is no dispute about the 5 per cent?
I said I am not aware of any problem in relation to that matter. I am certainly not in a position to elaborate in response to any further questions the Deputy might wish to put to me.
That is a closure of some kind. Would the Parliamentary Secretary ask the Minister to raise this £10,000 for courses for teachers when it includes the subject courses and so on? Could it be increased to a reasonable sum even on the basis, despite the erosion of money, of £90,000 for nine months of last year? It is not a great deal to ask and when it carries the remedial element it is doubly important. Senator Martin raised this matter in another place. The money spent was very well spent on the subject courses as well. Would the Parliamentary Secretary promise me to ask the Minister to raise this amount?
I will convey what the Deputy has said to the Minister.
Vote put and agreed to.