asked the Minister for Education the plans if any, she has to implement the proposals outlined in A Plan for Educational Broadcasting which was submitted to the Department by the Educational Broadcasting Committee in October, 1982.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Educational Broadcasting
24.
The implementation of the proposals outlined in A Plan for Educational Broadcasting would require funding to an extent that it is not feasible to provide at this time.
My Department have had discussions with RTE regarding the possibility of providing a schools radio programme at primary level and this matter is under consideration. Progress in this area is contingent on the requisite resources being available to me and in view of my heavy commitments in the overall educational sector I am not as of now in a position to make any commitment in the matter.
What funding is available or what does the Minister mean by saying that a considerable amount of funding would be needed to research and implement some of the proposals of this report A Plan For Educational Broad-casting? She mentioned funding. What amount?
We are talking about funding something in the region of £150,000 to £200,000 in 1986 rising to more than £300,000 per year thereafter. At a time of very limited resources and the necessity to guard them most carefully, I would have to see if such funding could be found for the initiation of this service. Such an examination is under way at present.
Could I put it to the Minister that this area of educational broadcasting has vast potential to be a real tool for further education and present education at all levels? Would she agree with me that the record of non-availability or non-take up of any type of programme has been, in the words of Dr. John Coolahan, dismal in the present and will be just as dismal in the future if a move is not made in that direction? The amount of funding which the Minister has suggested would be the initial funding needed to get the project under way. It seems relatively small for the advantages which could accrue from the use of this marvellous technology of both radio and television as media for instruction and education.
I would like to clarify something that I might not have made clear. Those figures which I mentioned refer to a small proposal to begin from radio programmes for primary schools. In the much broader areas which the Deputy mentioned we are talking about a great deal more money than that. I understand Dr. Coolahan's concern and the Deputy's concern. However, neither the Deputy nor Dr. Coolahan are in a position of having to allocate resources within the educational system. Since I am, I must look very carefully at how I can begin or initiate new spending. It must be very carefully done.
We understand the Minister's worries, but that is her job which she has taken up willingly. Let me put it to her that in ordering her priorities in education it appears as if funding or, indeed, any consideration of funding for educational broadcasting receives from her and from her Department a very low priority rating. I want an answer to that first and then I have another supplementary.
The answer to that is "no". It does not receive a low priority. It is a question of money.
So it does not receive a low priority rating yet the Minister sees no future at all for the allocation of even an initial or token amount of funding to allow educational broadcasting at least to get off the ground again. That seems an extraordinary and quite anomalous answer.
The Deputy misunderstood me——
I am not quite finished. I am on my feet and protocol demands that one person at a time stands in this House. That is what I learned when I came into it. The Minister mentioned consideration between the Department of Education and RTE with regard to broadcasting at primary level. Let me ask now for an elaboration of those envisaged talks and proposals.
I was going to say that I wished to help the Deputy by pointing out that she misunderstood my original answer when I said quite clearly that the proposals which I mentioned for primary schools were under consideration in the Department. At no point did I say that I was rejecting the beginning of this very important idea. I wish to make that quite clear.
The second part of the Deputy's question is that RTE and my Department have had meetings on this question regarding what one could do to begin schools broadcasting. We looked at the question of having some music segments and speech segments and we have proceeded quite well with our discussions. Now it is a question of seeing when and if the funding can be found to initiate these programmes. That is what is under active consideration.
The Minister's answer has been extremely convoluted and has taken several offshots. When might there be a result of discussions between the Department of Education and RTE and when might a priority be given by her and her Department to the funding for this project?
My answer cannot be any more definite on that. The discussions with RTE on the initial primary area have concluded. It is now for me and my Department to look at the question of funding. I cannot give a definite date for that discussion within my Department.