I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the period commencing on the 1st day of April, 1974, and ending on the 31st day of December, 1974, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Education (including Institutions of Science and Art), for certain miscellaneous educational and cultural services and for payment of sundry grants-in-aid.
The proposals for which the Supplementary Estimate is being introduced are non-controversial and will not, I expect, lead to a lengthy discussion. Dáil Éireann is not being asked to vote additional funds in respect of these proposals. There are three subheads involved as follows: (i) National Library, Subhead E.4— Development Schemes—£10,000; (ii) National Museum, Subhead F.4— Development schemes—£10,000, (iii) Subhead B.10—European Institute, Florence—£10.
It was considered necessary to open the two new subheads E.4 and F.4 as it was felt that it would not be appropriate to make payments from the existing subheads E.1 and F.1 for the charges to arise in respect of certain new developments now proposed. The existing subheads relate to specific purposes—"Purchase of Books et cetera” in the case of the National Library and “Purchase of Specimens” in the case of the National Museum and, furthermore, the subheads are designated as Grants-in-Aid. The original provision made in each of these subheads is, accordingly, being reduced by £10,000, so that the opening of the new subheads E.4 and F.4 represents no additional charge on the Vote.
The developments for which provision is being made in the new subheads E.4 and F.4, relate to the organisation on a trial basis of an educational service the purpose of which is to promote interest in the National Library and the National Museum more widely, to encourage the establishment of local centres in which information concerning the collections available in both institutions would be readily available and in which exhibitions of Library and Museum material of educational interest could be arranged from time to time. It is considered that a sum of £20,000, divided equally between the two institutions, will be sufficient for the period to the 31st December, 1974. Provision is accordingly being made for payments not exceeding £10,000 during this period from each of the two new subheads being proposed.
A new subhead B.10 for a token provision of £10 is being opened in connection with our assession to the convention setting up the European University Institute at Florence. The original six members of the European Community drew up the Convention formally establishing the Institute prior to the accession of the new member States. Three of these six original members—France, Italy and Luxembourg—have formally ratified the convention and it is anticipated the other three will do so shortly. In fact the Ministers of Education at their June meeting in Luxembourg "noted with satisfaction that the three ratifications still pending were about to be made". I now understand informally that ratification procedures are completed in Germany and the Netherlands but not yet in Belgium.
The Irish Government have authorised the appropriate steps to be taken in connection with Ireland's accession to the convention. It is intended that the Instrument of Accession should be executed as soon as formal ratification of the convention has been made by all six original members. In this connection Deputies are aware that the Government made on 20th June, 1974 an order entitled European University Institute (Designation of Organisation and Immunities of Organistation and its Officers and Servants) Order, 1974, and that the order has been laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
The institute will have four Departments, History and Civilisation, Economics, Law, Political and Social Science.
It is envisaged that the institute will function from October, 1974, and that it will cater for 50-80 post graduate students, perhaps from 1975, and for 400-500 eventually.
A preparatory Committee, on which my Department and the Higher Education Authority are represented, has been meeting since 1972 to determine the budget, conditions of service for staff scholarships et cetera. Dr. Max Kohnstamm, Netherlands, has been appointed President provisionally and Dr. M. Buzzonetti, Italy the provisional Secretary General.
The selection of the first members of the institute's staff is at present being made by the provisional Academic Committee. There are many applications for these posts including a number from Ireland.
The financial arrangements for the institute provide that it will have a separate budget, financed by contributions from the member States. Ireland's contribution will amount to 0.62 per cent of the total budget. It has not yet been decided what will be the amount of the budget for the first year of the Institute's operation.
A draft budget which was under consideration estimated possible expenditure at £1.4 million sterling in a full year of which Ireland would be expected to contribute about £8,800. It is not now anticipated that expenditure would be of this order in the first year. Until arrangements for ratification and for staff recruitment are farther advanced it is not possible to say what amount would be required. For this reason only a token estimate is being presented at this stage.
It is anticipated that there will be sufficient savings on other subheads of the Vote to meet the required charge. The Government of the Italian Republic have agreed to provide free of charge land and buildings for the Institute initially at Badia Fiesolana and later on a permanent site at Villa Tolomei, Florence.
Each member State will have two representatives on the High Council of the Institute. It is envisaged that these representatives would be at official level. The High Council is expected to hold its first meeting as soon as the six original States have ratified the convention and the three new States have deposited their instruments of accession in Rome.
