Before I commence may I suggest — and I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment — that it is completely improper that the Minister for Education has evaded her responsibility here this evening. It is an insult to this House. Despite commitments given to the Whips that the Minister would reply on a matter of such public importance——
Adjournment Debate. - Letterkenny (Donegal) Regional Technical College.
All I can say to the Deputy is that the Chair does not have any control in that matter.
That may well be the case, but it is unacceptable and an insult to this House that the Minister, in accordance with a commitment recently given to the Whips, would not attend on a matter of public interest of this nature. To send in the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment on a matter he cannot possibly know anything about is to show scant regard for this House and its procedures.
On a point of order, can we have an explanation as to why the Minister or the Minister of State at the Department of Education is not here? I understand that both are in the precincts of the House.
I have already answered. So far as the Chair is concerned, matters for the Adjournment are selected and thereafter the Chair does not have any power or say regarding the attendance of the Minister. Perhaps the Deputy would proceed. He has made his point.
You are the guarantor, Sir, of our rights. As an Opposition, we have some rights in this House. This is not acceptable and it is not fair to the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment.
The Deputy has made his point on that matter. Perhaps he would proceed with his business at this stage.
Out of respect for you and your office I will do so, but I see little point in the exercise. I should say that I went out of my way last evening to transmit certain documents to the Minister for Education concerning the manner of operation of the governing body of the Letterkenny Regional Technical College and the implications of an announcement by the chairman of the governing body that it was decided to ask the Fraud Squad to investigate the alleged misappropriation of public funds — although there is no evidence that this has in fact been done.
The matter has been brought to my attention by the Union of Students in Ireland whose local branch union is being forced to discontinue its service to its members arising from a decision of the governing body to withhold payment of the capitation fee and annual college allocation.
The documents which I passed to the Minister would seem to suggest a conflict of interest between the public role and the private commercial interests of the chairman of the governing body, an apparent breach of the Data Protection Act and gross impropriety concerning the manner in which the affairs of the governing body are conducted.
Further, it is alleged by the union that some local officers and activists of the union are subjected to harassment and sinister phone calls. The union further believes that a person was recently appointed to a senior post at the college without suitable academic or professional qualification other than a history of close political association with the chairman, although there were many eminently qualified candidates.
The local students' union at Letterkenny has for some time had a commercial arrangement with an entertainment emporium called The Golden Grill (Letterkenny) Limited. It was decided this year to do business with a competitor establishment. This occasioned a letter from the director of The Golden Grill — a son of the chairman of the governing body of the regional technical college — to virtually every second and third year student of the college, giving rise to the conviction on the part of the union that the author of the letter was given access to the college data base. A great many students are concerned to know precisely what information other than their college accommodation address was supplied to a private businessman. The contents and tone of the letter have given rise to threatened proceedings for defamation.
Mr. Bernard McGlinchey was one of the several hundred appointments made by the then Minister for Education, Deputy Séamus Brennan, in the days before he left office. Deputy Brennan seemed to regard political allegiance as one of the main — some would say the only — qualification for appointment.
I am advised that Mr. McGlinchey is now chairman of a governing body almost exclusively of the same political persuasion. I acknowledge this factor does not disqualify these members from the proper conduct of their duties. However, the manner of the conduct of the affairs of the governing body as described to me warrants the closest scrutiny by the Minister for Education.
I find it disturbing that USI put the Department of Education in possession of this information in far greater detail six weeks ago. That information detailed the nature of the impropriety in the conduct of the college's affairs; highlighted the central allegation that the private commercial interests of the chairman of the governing body are influencing, if not dictating his conduct of the affairs of the college and detailed the ugly nature of the harassment experienced by some students.
Members should not comment or criticise a person outside this House either by name or in such a way as to make him identifiable as he is defenceless against accusations made under the privilege of the House. Let me point out that this is a long standing precedent.
A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I accept what you say but let me draw your attention to a decision of this House of 8 April 1993 where we clarified what may be raised in this House under the sub judice rule, including any matter of general public importance, even where court proceedings have been initiated.
Let me reiterate the point about references to people and their defencelessness against the privileged position of Members of this House.
I am talking about a public position in a public institution in a college of education.
It still stands that we should not personalise debate or speak of people in such a way as they can be identified.
Although the Minister has been in possession of this information for six weeks she has made no response concerning any investigation that she has, or is, conducting into these serious allegations. The absence of the Minister for Education, Deputy Bhreathnach, suggests that she is again seeking to avoid her responsibility in the matter. Apparently the privileges of office have banished the high-minded rhetoric about high public standards in which she engaged before the election. The Minister must now choose between doing her public duty and saving her Fianna Fáil colleagues from embarrassment.
That a college of education should have the conduct of its affairs made the subject of such allegations is unconscionable and I regret it must be ventilated on the floor of this House because of the Minister's inaction. I greatly regret that the Minister did not come into this House this evening — having regard to the nature of these allegations and the necessity to ventilate them — to detail what investigation, if any, she is conducting and what action she proposes to take.
There will be an entirely new governing body — perhaps not entirely new personnel — conducting the affairs of this college from January next. I certainly am satisfied, based on the documents I transmitted to the Minister that there is cause for acute public concern. If the Minister will not do it this evening she ought to come before this House at the earliest possible opportunity to tell us the decisions she intends to make on this matter.
(Wexford:) I thank Deputy Rabbitte for raising this issue. I would like also to tender the apologies of the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Liam Aylward, who was to reply to this question but had to attend his aunt's removal to the church this evening in Kilkenny.
Whose removal is the Minister attending?
(Wexford): The Minister for Education wishes to advise the Deputy that under section 9 (1) of the Regional Technical Colleges Act, 1992, the director of the college is the chief officer of the regional technical college with responsibility for accountability in relation to the affairs of the college. The director of Letterkenny regional technical college has been asked for a full and formal report on the alleged misappropriation of public funds at the college as a matter of urgency. When this report is received it will be considered by the Minister for Education.
I must protest if that is the extent of the response to the issues that the Minister knows about. It is reducing this House to ridicule.
It is a gratuitous insult.
It is a gratuitous insult as Deputy Jim Higgins said and the Minister is guilty of political cowardice.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.15 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 November 1993.