asked the Minister for Education if he will arrange for the publication of a comprehensive annual report on the work of his Department, giving information on general educational matters including primary schools and universities.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Education Department Report.
35.
Mr. O'Leary
I announced last year that I had decided to discontinue publication of the annual report in its present format, that in future the statistical tables, which have hitherto appeared as Appendices to the Report, would be issued annually as a separate publication and that a report on progress and developments in the field of education generally would be published at intervals of three years. It is intended that these triennial reports on progress and developments will contain information, as may be appropriate, on developments in all aspects of education including some which have not been covered in the Department's annual reports hitherto.
Mr. O'Leary
Does the Minister appreciate that one difficulty at the moment in talking about matters educational is that we do not have anything approximating to an annual report on the actual educational position in the country, that at the moment in connection with the statistics relating to education, there is a backlog of years not covered? I do not see that the plan the Minister introduced last year and repeats now will give up to date figures if it is to be over three years.
I think the Deputy may misunderstand. What I said was that the statistics would be issued annually.
Mr. O'Leary
I beg pardon.
The general report on education and on development in education will be issued triennially.
Mr. O'Leary
Is there any reason why it is over three years rather than over one year?
Part of the delay in producing the report in the past has been due to difficulties in obtaining statistics which we will have to overcome and I think we have made some progress, but part has been due to the preparation of a more general report. For the report to be valuable it would be better to have it at an interval. We decided that three years was the most appropriate but I am conscious of the fact that statistics have been delayed and it is because of that that I am making these arrangements.