The reason I raised this matter is because of the shilly-shallying that has gone on between the Department of Education and the vocational education committee in the last couple of years. The Parliamentary Secretary indicated today that funds which were sanctioned prior to the beginning of 1975 would be allocated. I brought to his attention that on 13th May, 1975, in a letter to the chairman of An Chomhairle le Leas Óige, the Sport and Youth Section of the Department of Education, for which the Parliamentary Secretary is responsible, it was stated:
A Chara,
Further to the meeting which took place in the Department on 2nd May, 1975 in connection with expenditure of money allocated for the activities of An Comhairle, I wish to point out that, as a sub-committee of the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee, An Chomhairle is not empowered to spend money on activities outside the Dublin city boundary.
This letter was written in spite of the fact that Statutory Instrument No. 328 of 1975 was in existence. It is called Vocational Education (Grants for Annual Schemes of Committees) Regulations, 1975. It commences with: "I, Richard Burke, Minister for Education, in exercise of the powers conferred on meel". Section 5 states:
In respect of the financial year commencing the 1st day of January, 1975, there may be paid to the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee, in addition to the additional grant a grant (to be called and known as a supplementary grant) not exceeding £167,000 of the corresponding expenditure incurred by the said committee, under arrangements which have been approved by the Minister with the sanction of the Minister for Finance in establishing and maintaining or encouraging or assisting the provision and maintenance of youth training centres for the Dublin City Vocational Education area, the Dún Laoghaire Vocational Education area and the functional area of the county of Dublin of the Vocational Education Committee.
In spite of the existence of this document the Department of Education said they were not empowered to allow the VEC to release funds outside of the city.
On 19th February, 1976, a letter was written to a gentleman in Raheny regarding an application by a youth club outside the city boundary. The letter he received from An Chomhairle le Leas Óige stated:
I wish to confirm what has today been communicated verbally to you. The youth club in Donaghmede, about which you spoke, appears to be situated outside the city boundary. By virtue of a recent decision of the Department of Education, Comhairle le Leas Óige is not empowered to provide its services to youth groups outside the city area. Accordingly, I regret to inform you that affiliation of the youth club cannot be considered by my committee.
A letter from the Borough of Dún Laoghaire Vocational Education Committee, dated 22nd January, 1976, to An Chomhairle le Leas Óige stated:
Please find enclosed copy of letter sent today to the Department of Education concerning the above.
This was a letter dated 22nd January, 1976, to the secretary of the Department of Education and stated:
A Chara,
My Committee at their meeting held on 12th January, 1976, and indeed at some former meetings, questioned the fact that the services of Comhairle le Leas Óige have not been extended to their vocational education area. They fail to understand why provision is made in section 5 of the Statutory Instrument No. 328 of 1975, and indeed in several former statutory instruments for this purpose, and yet the services have not been extended to the Committee's area. My Committee would be grateful if you would look into this matter and let them have your comments at your earliest convenience.
No reply was received to that letter. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary why have the officials of his Department denied the authority of the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee to extend outside the city area when the VEC of County Dublin and Dún Laoghaire have agreed to this? In fact, they have requested it.
I would like to point out to the Parliamentary Secretary that County Dublin VEC and Dún Laoghaire VEC in October, 1974, requested the sanction of the Minister for Education under section 40 of the Vocational Education Committee Act, 1930, for co-operation in the youth area but no reply was received from the Department on that. This is very ironical because I have here a question which I would like to read from Volume 243, dated 4th December, 1969. It is from the present Taoiseach and states:
Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that at present facilities provided by Comhairle le Leas Óige which operates under section 21 (2) of the Vocational Education Act, 1930, do not extend to County Dublin or Dún Laoghaire; and if he will make funds available so that facilities may be extended to County Dublin and Dún Laoghaire such as are at present available within the County Borough of Dublin.
The then Minister for Education, Deputy Faulkner, referred him to a reply of 13th February, 1969, concerning the matter. The present Taoiseach then asked:
Is the Minister aware that Dún Laoghaire and County Dublin are discriminated against at present? Perhaps he would consider making a grant available so that the Comhairle le Leas Óige service could be provided outside the borough area—I mean outside the city borough?
The then Minister for Education, Deputy Faulkner, replied:
I appreciate what the Deputy has in mind. Discussions took place on this and it was decided that the city group could help in the other areas but that no extra money could be given for that purpose. This year An Chomhairle received a grant of £53,890, which is £17,630 more than last year. Perhaps they might wish to help.
In other words, there was no objection whatsoever under the provisions which we introduced to an Chomhairle spending their funds outside the city of Dublin and in the Dún Laoghaire borough. The Parliamentary Secretary owes an explanation why there has been this shilly-shallying, why the delay, why no replies have been received from the Department of Education and why there has been a lack of co-operation. Nobody wants to be at war with anybody about this.
The Parliamentary Secretary knows that about three or four weeks ago I spoke to him about this. I said I did not want to put down a question as I do not like to make politics out of youth work or anything to do with youth work. I prefer to get things done quietly behind the scenes. The Parliamentary Secretary knows that I spoke to him on a number of occasions. I told him if I did not get a response he would leave me with no alternative but to put down a question in the House, which I had to do today. When the question was put down the Parliamentary Secretary's colleague, Deputy Percy Dockrell, had been primed to put another question down ahead of mine.