asked the Minister for Education, the number of first year trainee teachers admitted to Carysfort training college, County Dublin, this year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trainee Teachers.
11.
I think that question was answered.
I have just one supplementary. In view of the remarkable U-turn or S-bend by the Minister in relation to her commitments when in Opposition to the retention of Carysfort as a training college, is she prepared to guarantee that whatever rearrangement emerges there will be a high element of teacher training and that the existing staff will not be made redundant but will be redeployed within the existing structure?
To answer the question which Deputy Higgins posed earlier and now again, the intake of primary school teacher trainees into Carysfort was stopped by a Minister in the Deputy's Government following a decision of February 1986. There was no intake following that last year or this year. Perhaps Deputy Higgins wants to escape from that now and then but it is a fact.
Is the Minister denying her right to rescind that decision?
The Deputy asked why there was no intake. The question was to ask the Minister for Education the number of first year trainee teachers admitted to Carysfort training college, County Dublin, this year. I have pointed out that the previous Government in the previous year made a decision and they carried it through in their Estimate of that year and again in January of this year.
Why did the Minister not change it?
That decision was enunciated clearly by the Deputy's own Government.
Why did the Minister not change the decision?
We will now deal with Questions nominated for priority.
I give notice that I wish to raise on the Adjournment the interpretation of the term "availability for work" since it is causing hardship to those taking literacy courses who have had their unemployment assistance removed from them and also because of an investigation which is currently taking place in the Lettermore-Lettermullan area of Connemara.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the crisis facing third level students at the Dublin Institute of Technology who are not receiving any EC grants for maintenance and have not received any this year.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 17 on today's Order Paper.
I will communicate with the Deputy. I would prefer these questions to be raised on the Order of Business because they are eroding the precious time allowed and stipulated for questions nominated for priority. Question No. 64, please.