Vol. 294 No. 6
asked the Minister for Education if he is satisfied that the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee makes adequate use of the supplementary grant allocated to it which amounted to £167,000 in 1975 and the Vocational Education (Grants for Annual Schemes of Committees) Regulations 1975 in respect of youth training centres in the functional areas of the three Dublin vocational education committees, particularly with reference to the Borough of Dún Laoghaire.
37.
asked the Minister for Education why permission has not been granted by his Department to allow Comhairle le Leas Óige to spend moneys allocated to them outside of the Dublin city area, specifically in Dublin County and the Borough of Dún Laoghaire, as in previous years.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 37 together.
I am satisfied that the grant allocated to Comhairle le Leas Óige is adequate for the purposes intended to be served thereby and that adequate use is made of it. The grant for 1975 amounted to £167,000 and this has been increased to £200,000 for 1976.
So far as I am concerned there is no objection to an arrangement being made between the three vocational education committees concerned under which some of the grant which is allocated for the purposes of An Chomhairle would be expended on activities in the areas of Dublin County and the Borough of Dún Laoghaire.
Is the Minister prepared, when making next year's grant to Comhairle le Leas Óige to specifically state that so much of the grant should be available to the Borough of Dún Laoghaire and a further sum for County Dublin, which, I think, is in the same position as Dún Laoghaire?
Comhairle le Leas Óige is a sub-committee of Dublin City Vocational Education Committee and as such, both it and Dublin City Vocational Education Committee are precluded from spending money outside the boundaries of the city. However, they may enter into an agreement with other vocational education committees under section 40 of the Vocational Education Act, subject to the approval of the Minister for the expenditure of moneys outside the area. In response to the specific query from Deputy Dockrell, I can say it would be our intention to give the money to Comhairle on the same basis as it has been given in the past and not to make any specific allocation.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary say why, on the 13th May, 1975, a letter was sent from the chairman of Comhairle le Leas Óige stating that An Chomhairle is not empowered to spend money on activities outside the Dublin city boundary, when in fact statutory instrument No. 328 of 1975 empowered the Minister to allow Comhairle le Leas Óige to give grants to the county and to the Borough of Dún Laoghaire? Why has the Department of Education not answered these numerous queries which have been sent to them until now, and why has it taken until now, when I asked the Parliamentary Secretary only a few weeks ago if he could get information on this without the necessity of having to bring it up here in the House? What has been the delay and why all this rigmarole?
A formal agreement must be entered into by the committee. I agree there has been some doubt in this matter up to now and I hope——
Despite the statutory instrument?
——this will clarify the matter.
How could there be a doubt?
How has the doubt been resolved?
By indicating that an agreement may be entered into under section 40 for this purpose. My information is to the effect that no such agreement has yet been entered into by the authorities concerned.
The Parliamentary Secretary seemed to imply that there was a legal doubt which has now been resolved. Who resolved it and how was that done?
It was resolved by consultations between the Department and the office of the Chief State Solicitor.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary saying there was a doubt attaching to the statutory instrument signed by the Minister?
There seemed to be doubt as to the implications of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary say why on the 13th May, 1975, his Department—and I will give him a copy of the letter, reference No.——
Quotations are not in order at Question Time.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary find out why the chairman of Comhairle le Leas Óige was told they were not empowered to give grants outside Dublin city boundary?
At that time, I gather, the agreement in question did not exist.
It did exist, and the Parliamentary Secretary knows it.
Order. Let us not have argument.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that that statutory instrument, No. 328 of 1975—and I have a copy of that here—empowered the vocational education committee to allow Comhairle le Leas Óige go spend money outside——
We cannot debate this matter here today.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of that?
I am aware of that statutory instrument.
In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Parliamentary Secretary's reply, I wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with Deputy Briscoe.
