asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that the total amount of grant paid to the Donegal Vocational Educational Committee for the year 1969-70 is insufficient to pay the full authorised grants allowable to pupils in attendance at vocational schools in County Donegal; and that it was necessary because of the number of eligible pupils in attendance at Donegal vocational schools to scale down grants far below the amount each pupil is entitled to receive; and if in view of the hardship in very many cases he will arrange to increase the grant so that each child can be paid the amount which is his entitlement.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Donegal Vocational School Grants.
71.
I assume that this question relates to the scheme of grants towards free books and accessories. The amount allocated to the County Donegal Vocational Education Committee for the purposes of that scheme was £4,458 in respect of the financial year 1969/70.
I am satisfied that the estimate on which this sum was based was reasonable and that I would not be warranted in departing from it.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the headmasters and the CEO accepted refundable donations or subscriptions from the pupils and that it was understood that they would be refunded in full but, because of the fact that the Department did not honour their commitments, the refunds were scaled down and the pupils have to forfeit some of their deposits?
The amount of money allocated to Donegal would enable roughly one in three of the pupils to obtain free books. The total sum provided was £110,000 for the whole country, and I think the allocation to Donegal is quite reasonable in the circumstances.
That is not my question. I said that the pupils attending vocational schools in County Donegal were asked to make a contribution towards the cost of books which was to be refunded out of a fund provided by the Department of Education. This money is not sufficient to refund in full the amount subscribed by the pupils. I am not interested in the amount of money going to other parts of Ireland. I am asking will the Parliamentary Secretary ensure that the amount of money subscribed by the Department to the Donegal Vocational Committee will be sufficient to refund in full the amount of money collected from poor children?
This is a completely separate question from the one I was asked to answer.
In what way?
If Deputy Harte wishes to bring further information before the House or before the Department, I would invite him to do so.
The question is in regard to contributions from the children and the Deputy is asking about the total amount of grant paid to the committee.
The total amount of the grant is insufficient, but insufficient for what? The supplementary I am asking is: is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the amount of money being paid by the Department is insufficient to refund in full the amount of money paid by parents of poor children towards the cost of what are described as free books?
That is a separate question.
It is in the last part of the question.
Question No. 72.
I want to refer you, a Cheann Comhairle, to the last part of my question.
I am calling Question No. 72.
I refer you to the last part of my question and I want to ask a supplementary.
I am not answering the supplementary.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary accept my question?
The amount of money made available to the Donegal Vocational Committee cannot be increased in this financial year. The amount allocated was allocated in relation to the total amount available. It is not within the power of the Department to increase the grant this year. If the Vocational Education Committee in Donegal have exceeded the amount available to them I feel that the trouble is at their end. It was quite unreasonable of them to do so from the information the Deputy has given. It should have borne some relation to the grant they received last year.
The vocational committee have not exceeded it. The position is that children of poor parents were asked to make contributions or subscriptions towards the cost of books on the understanding that the Department would give a full refund. These people are holders of medical cards. They are the poorest of the poor.
We cannot have a speech on this matter.
I am asking the Parliamentary Secretary——
The Deputy keeps asking the same question.
I am getting no answer. I am protesting because I am getting no answer.
Question No. 72.
The Department have fiddled the money. The next time I am treated like this I will sit in the centre of that floor. I want to say this in protest. I have never risen to ask a supplementary question without you protecting either the Minister or the Parliamentary Secretary. This is personal and nothing else. The next time it happens I will sit in the middle of that floor.
The Chair is protecting the question of relevance only which is very far from the Deputy's question.
You continue to protect Ministers when I am asking supplementaries.
Will the Deputy allow questions to continue? Question No. 72.
Will I answer the Deputy's supplementary?
The Minister will not answer his own.
(Interruptions.)