asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state (a) the names and qualifications of the members of an Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte, (b) the criteria used in accepting or rejecting applications from qualified students to An Bord, (c) whether he will consider extending the travel grants to include students going to university in Canada, (d) the number of grants extended in each of the last five years and (e) the financial resources available to An Bord this year.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte.
3.
As the answer is very long and comprised of factual details and statistics I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it with the official reports.
(a) Under the terms of the Scholarship Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1957, An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte consists of seven members of whom four are Irish citizens appointed by the Minister for External Affairs and three are citizens of the United States of America appointed by the head of the Diplomatic Mission of the United States to Ireland.
The present members of An Bord are:
Appointed by the Minister for External Affairs
An Dr. Mairtín Ó Tnúthail, Chairman of An Bord, President of University College, Galway;
Dr. Tadhg Twomey, Director of Department of Research and Development, Comhlucht Siúicre Éireann Teo.;
Professor E.T.S. Walton, F.T.C.D., Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Trinity College, Dublin;
Mrs. Patrick Drury Byrne, Company Director.
Appointed by the Head of the United States Mission
Mr. James E. Hoofnagle, Counsellor, U.S. Embassy;
Mrs. Luan P. Cuffe, Writer;
Mr. Virgil P. Randolph III, Second Secretary, U.S. Embassy.
(b) An Bord invites applications for grants by means of advertisements in the daily newspapers, and circulars addressed to the universities and other interested bodies, which specify the academic or other qualifications required.
All applications which fulfil the requirements specified in An Bord's advertisements are considered. The limited number of grants available is awarded on a strictly competitive basis. The advertisements lay down that An Bord reserves to itself the exclusive right to evaluate the merits of each applicant, that the selection of An Bord is final and that An Bord does not give reasons for its decisions. In selecting grantees An Bord takes into consideration the qualifications of applicants, their future plans as stated to An Bord, and the importance to the Irish economy of their proposed fields of study.
(c) The Scholarship Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1957, gave effect to an agreement between the two governments for the establishment of a scholarship exchange scheme and the utilisation for that purpose of the American Grant Counterpart Special Account. The Act specified that the functions of the Board shall be the financing of studies, research, instruction, teaching, lecturing and other educational activities—
(a) of Irish citizens in schools, universities, institutions of higher learning and other suitable institutions located in the United States of America, and American schools and suitable American institutions located elsewhere.
(b) of citizens of the United States of America in schools, universities, institutions of higher learning and other suitable institutions located in the State.
and, in co-operation with the United States Board of Foreign Scholarships, the selecting of students, professors, teachers, research scholars and other suitable persons for that purpose. Since the exchange scheme operates under the terms of an agreement between the Government and the Government of the United States of America the Minister is not in a position to extend its operations beyond the limits specified in the agreement.
|
(d) |
1968-69 |
1967-68 |
1966-67 |
1965-66 |
1964-65 |
|
Irish grantees |
24 |
20 |
23 |
21 |
19 |
|
U.S. grantees |
9 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
|
33 |
28 |
32 |
29 |
27 |
The figures given are for the academic year (1 July—30 June) in each case.
(e) The operation of An Bord and the execution of its programme are financed from the yield on the investment of the funds provided from the American Grant Counterpart Special Account. The total sum available to An Bord in the current financial year is approximately £30,600. It is not possible at this date to state an exact figure, since further income, amounting at the most to a few hundred pounds, may accrue to An Bord before the end of the current financial year.
Question No. 4 postponed.