asked the Minister for Health the grants paid to the Irish Pre-School Playgroup Association in 1981 and 1982; and if he will make £20,000 available for the association this year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Pre-School Playgroup Association.
29.
Grants amounting to £5,000 and £11,844, respectively, were paid to the Irish Pre-School Playgroup Association in 1981 and 1982.
A total of £14,156 on account has been paid to the association by the Eastern Health Board in respect of the financial year beginning 1 April 1983. It is not possible to determine the amount of further assistance necessary until such time as the board obtain and examine the association's audited accounts for the year ended 31 March 1983 and projected accounts for the year commencing 1 April 1983. I might add, however, that it is the intention to provide sufficient financial support to the association to enable them to provide services at last year's level.
Is the Minister aware that the Irish Pre-School Playgroup Association were concerned that they might not have sufficient funding available to them this year to continue to employ their national adviser? Could he confirm that the figure he mentioned which the health board are to make available to the association this year has been paid to the association and, if not, could he request the health board to make that payment to the association?
On a point of order, the essential information given by the Minister in response to this question was given in response to a question last week in the House. Is it the normal practice that a Deputy can paraphrase a question——
That is not a point of order.
What format is applied to the putting down of questions which have already been responded to?
Questions are adjudicated on to see that there is ministerial responsibility to the House for the matter raised, and that they comply with the criteria laid down by Standing Orders.
I should like to put it on record that last week the Minister for Health indicated that the same amount of money which was allocated last year would be allocated to this group this year and would include——
That is not a point of order.
I am not objecting to the Deputy putting down the question but it seems strange to me that a Deputy should paraphrase a question for the purpose of getting information to help him in his constituency. That is totally irregular.
On a point of order, a suggestion has been made by the Deputy opposite that I paraphrased some question he alleges was on the Order Paper last week. I put down this question on the Order Paper. I have no knowledge of the Deputy's question. I presume he had one which happened to find itself ahead of mine. This is an aspersion on my behaviour in the House which should be withdrawn. There is no question of my paraphrasing a question on the Order Paper for constituency advantage. If that is the sort of behaviour the Deputy opposite gets up to, that is fair enough.
I should like to point out——
This is an example of what happens when extraneous matters which should not be introduced are introduced in the House.
It can hardly be regarded as extraneous. I had a question on the Order Paper for some months. Deputy Shatter realised that I had stolen a march on him——
Deputy Flynn made his point. He is now out of order. Will the Minister answer the supplementary please?
Deputy Shatter is the conscience of the House.
Some people are allowed to exercise their consciences.
It is intended to provide sufficient financial support to enable the association to provide the same service as they provided last year and, if the money has not been paid, I will ensure that it will be paid.