asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development how many requests for advice, and on what matters, have been addressed since its establishment to the National Board for Science and Technology by himself or by the Government.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Board for Science and Technology.
11.
In general practice the working relationships of the board with Ministers and Departments will not be on the basis of individual requests for advice. Rather there will be continuous process of consultation and exchange of information and advice.
One purpose in establishing the board is to encourage and promote interaction in the area of science and technology between the operational Departments and Institutions, so as to secure the best overall results from their national efforts in these fields.
The board has, on request, advised various Departments on such topics as the funding of activities under the oil "scholarship" scheme, Irish involvement in various international and EEC research and development programmes, and inter-governmental co-operation agreements. The board has also been asked to carry out a study on the scientific and technical aspects of telecommunications activities in Ireland.
I thank the Minister for his reply. Would the Minister acknowledge that the Act which set up this board contains, in the section which describes the function of the board, its specific duty to advise, on request, a Minister or the Government? I simply want to know whether any such formal requests has yet been made although the board has been in existence for over a year? Surely that is not too difficult for the Minister to answer.
I have, in my reply, attempted to deal with the Deputy's question, which I fully appreciate and accept. I have tried to indicate that the bulk of the board's work will continue on the basis that I described, namely, this continuing process of consultation and so on. I did also add, in the last paragraph, that the board has, on request, advised various Departments on such topics as, and I listed some examples.
They are not contemptible examples; I am not trying to make little of them. Is the Minister definitely telling the House that the National Board for Science and Technology is now seised of the question—I think the expression is—whether telecommunications should be left with the Department of Posts and Telegraphs or removed from them to some part of the private sector, or some other structure?
That is a separate question.
The Minister gave this information. I want to know what it is.
The Deputy does not have to depart from the original question.
I am sorry; I do not want to wrangle. The Minister told the House a minute ago, in answer to my question, and he gave a few instances—I do not know what is the depth of the consultation—which may be of some substance and he ended with the instance of the telecommunications structure which has been very much in the news recently. I am asking the Minister if he will tell the House, arising from the information he gave himself, whether the National Board for Science and Technology is now advising the Government on the future of the telecommunications branch of the public service?
No, Sir, I did not say that. The relevant sentence of my reply was that the board have been asked to carry out a study of the scientific and technical aspects of telecommunications activities in Ireland. Might I suggest that since the next question might be relevant to Deputy Kelly's supplementaries, the Chair would allow further supplementaries at that point.
12.
asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if he will summarise the activity to date of the National Board for Science and Technology.
The National Board for Science and Technology was set up on 5 April 1978. Since then, it has been engaged in identifying its priority working areas, in preparing a staff structure related to its working areas, and in recruiting its staff.
Recruitments to date are only a fraction of the complement seen to be required to enable the board to carry out its functions adequately. It is anticipated that the work of the board will obtain full momentum before the latter half of 1979.
Notwithstanding its current minimal staff complement, the board nevertheless, with the assistance of some temporary staff and secondments, has succeeded in undertaking activities in a range of areas including the following: energy, research and development, environmental research and development, food technology, marine science and technology, telecommunications, data processing, computers and other high technology areas, and scientific and technical information.
The board has also assisted in servicing this country's involvement in the work of various international organisations in the scientific and technology areas.
In addition the board has, on an ad hoc basis, continued to fund research in the higher education sector. This has been done via the previously existing scientific research grants scheme pending a reappraisal by the board of the most appropriate mechanisms for the funding of research in this sector.
Might I ask the Minister two or three questions arising out of that reply?
I would prefer that the Deputy would ask one only.
I do not want to argue with the Chair. I will ask them all in one breath, if I may, and the Minister can catch them as they fly past him. Firstly, I should like to ask whether any question of competition or concurrence with the Nuclear Energy Board——
I want to warn against this. The Deputy is seeking the number of cases referred to a particular body and their type. If we were to get the substance of what each of them was about we could be on that question all day. I am afraid I cannot allow the Deputy.
It was not thrashed out in the detail I would like.
We cannot go into detail. The Minister enumerated eight or nine fields and, if we were to go into all these we would never finish questions.
I just want a simple "yes" or "no". I just want to know does any question of concurrence or competition arise with regard to the energy function, which the Minister mentioned, of this board with the Nuclear Energy Board and, if there is no concurrence or competition, why is there not? Secondly, I would like to know whether any concurrence or competition arises with the Higher Education Authority in regard to funding research grants and, if there is not any competition, why is there not, because it seems to me, in the case of both these instances I have given, that there must be some functional redundancy in one board or authority or the other? The second question is, will the Minister explain to the House why, at a time of high unemployment and difficulty in finding jobs even for graduates at technical levels, there has been such apparent torpor in recruiting staff for the work of this board bearing in mind——
These are all separate questions. The Deputy is off at a tangent now. Will he allow the Minister to reply?
——the transfer of this board from the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy to the Department of the Minister for Economic Planning and Development, which transfer was supposed to lead us to believe——
Will the Deputy please desist? Will he allow the Minister to reply to his questions?
I think I have identified three questions. Was there any competition with the Nuclear Energy Board? I am not aware as yet of any such competition because I am not aware that the National Board for Science and Technology has been capable of functioning in that area as yet.
I thought the Minister mentioned energy as one of the areas it had been functioning in.
Did I? I said energy, environment. May I read through it again? I said activities in a range of areas, including the following: energy research and development, environmental research and development, food technology. I thought the Deputy specifically referred to nuclear?
I did certainly.
As far as I am aware, the National Board for Science and Technology has so far been involved in what are often lumped as alternative energy sources, such as wind and water, biomass and so forth.
Can we take it then that they are not doing any research into nuclear?
As yet, not to the best of my knowledge. That is the answer to the Deputy's question.
Question No. 13.
What about HEA and the——
A Cheann Comhairle, you have called Question No. 13.
Yes.
The Minister is dodging the question.
I am not dodging any question.