Vol. 480 No. 2
319 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Education if his attention has been drawn to concerns regarding the future of the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin 3; if he will give details of the State aid or assistance currently given to the Institute or planned in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13468/97]
329 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education if he will provide public funding for the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin 3, in view of its crucial role in providing qualified teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13677/97]
It is proposed to answer Questions Nos. 319 and 329 together.
Mater Deí Institute of Education is a private institution which provides courses in religious science. Graduates of the Bachelor of Religious Science course offered by the Institute are recognised for appointment as second level religion teachers.
The Institute is an approved college for the purposes of the free fees initiative and the following payments have been made to the Institute in lieu of undergraduate fees under this initiative: Academic Year 1995-6, £81,030;Academic Year 1996-7, £316,752; Total, £397,782
Payments under the free fees initiative for the 1997-8 academic year and later will depend on the number of eligible students in the Institute. Due to overall resource constraints, I am not in a position to provide any additional grant assistance to the institute.
