Vol. 331 No. 10
asked the Minister for Education if he is aware of the hardship being caused to social welfare recipients who will be obliged to pay a £15 entrance fee for their children when sitting for the leaving certificate examination in 1982 and £10 for other certificate examinations, including the group certificate; and if he will take steps to have this imposition withdrawn immediately.
23.
asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that the high cost of the entrance fees for examinations is causing great hardship to many parents; and if he will in the interests of social justice take steps to have the matter fully investigated.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 23 together.
The level of fees for the certificate examinations in 1982 was decided by the previous Government in December 1980 in connection with their consideration of the Public Estimates for 1981 since these fees are paid and credited to appropriations-in-aid in that year.
I was not disputing the fact that the level of the entry fee was arranged by the last Government. I was asking the Minister would he give a commitment to social welfare recipients and those on lower incomes who are finding it very difficult to meet the high costs of these examination entrance fees for their children. Given that we are supposed to have free post-primary education it is ridiculous that people who get free school books should have to pay——
Would the Deputy please ask a question?
Does the Minister agree that these high entrance fees are causing people great hardship? Will he do something particularly for social welfare recipients, to allow them some way of meeting the burden?
I discovered that I inherited this decision by the previous Government to increase these fees. The additional estimated income from the increase had been included in the Book of Estimates for 1981 although the actual fee increase had not been announced. Subsequently the fee increase had to be announced by me because these application fees are paid during November and December of the year prior to pupils sitting the examinations. Consequently I was then in a position in which this decision had already been taken by our predecessors in office.
I should mention, in relation to the Supplementary Estimate, that an additional sum of £849,000 was necessary to meet, amongst other things, the cost of the recent arbitrator's award to examiners and superintendents of public examinations during 1981.
Would the Minister not agree that, in view of the very severe hardship imposed by direct Government action in the July budget — increasing the CPI by 5 per cent — there might be a case for reconsidering these fees in the case of social welfare recipients?
I am very conscious of the effect of the various fees on social welfare recipients and people in disadvantaged areas. However, I think the question in relation to waiving the fees, which were increased by 42 per cent by my predecessor and his colleagues in Government last December, comes ill from him. If there is any way in which a scheme can be introduced——
The budget came in between, my question related to that.
The level of those fees, which have been paid in the course of the past few weeks by those people who are to sit for public examinations in the summer of 1982, was decided on by the Government of the day on 22 December 1980.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 28 on the Order Paper of 8 December 1981 regarding the location of a posts and telegraphs training centre at Portlaoise.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
Might I have a written reply to Question No. 255 on today's Order Paper?
It is with regret that, once again, I must draw to your attention, Sir, that access to the Parliament of the people of Ireland is obstructed in an unacceptable way. I would ask you to cause inquiries to be made as to why it is that it is only on Tuesdays and on other days when the Dáil is meeting that a combination of Dublin Corporation, other public service authorities and the Garda make access to this House virtually impossible for many Members and certainly passage through adjoining streets very difficult for members of the public. I would ask you, Sir, as a defender of democracy and of citizens' rights, of all the Irish people — and particularly the people of Dublin — to investigate why this should be so and to ensure that remedial measures are taken so that a system of orderly, peaceable protest can take place together with a passage of traffic through the streets.
Might I suggest, in that connection, that the steel cattle pens that are in the gutters at Leinster House, together with the rubbish, litter and weeds therein should be removed forthwith, which would enable the peaceable citizens of this country — if they want so to do — to march up and down at least six to eight feet nearer the House, thereby freeing six to eight feet to public throughfare for the passage of buses and cars through this city? If, Sir, you find in this process that there are vested interests more interested in causing obstruction and thereby getting overtime I would ask that you would insist that the freedom of the people of this city and country to move freely will be regarded as sacrosanct. I would suggest that that should be the overwhelming interest of you, Sir, and of all those of us who have been elected by the democratic process.
Thank you. Deputy Ryan. I did not know that such a grave responsibility rested on me but I will communicate with the Deputy after the matter has been investigated.
