asked the Minister for Education whether any institutions for adult education have received grants from his Department over the past two years; the amount of such grants; the reason for giving the grants and the institutions to whom they were paid; if he will state his Department's policy in relation to other institutions for adult education; and whether financial assistance will be forthcoming in all cases.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grants for Adult Education.
52.
Mr. O'Leary
Grants-in-aid have been paid by my Department to adult education institutions in 1964-65 and 1965-66 financial years as follows:
|
1964-65 |
1965-66 |
|
|
Catholic Workers' |
||
|
College |
£2,000 |
£2,000 |
|
Dublin Institute of |
||
|
Catholic Sociology |
£800 |
£1,500 |
The institutions named were providing courses for the study of industrial relations, social ethics, youth leadership and sociology by adults for whom sufficient provision for such courses was not available otherwise. It was considered also that they represented a valuable adult education service which merited partial subsidisation by the State. The subsidies concerned were provided towards meeting deficits in their running costs.
No application for financial assistance has been received by my Department from any other institution providing adult education courses. Any such application would be considered on its merits, with due regard, however, to the extent to which the courses already available in this field may be adequate to satisfy the existing public demand for them.