asked the Minister for Education the expense incurred in holding the sworn inquiry into the affairs of Limerick Vocational Education Committee; and how it is proposed to meet this expense and expenses incurred by other persons connected with the inquiry.

Some considerable time must elapse before the costs of this inquiry can be finally determined. A decision as to how they should be met will have to await this final determination.

Would the Minister indicate if he is prepared to pay the considerable expenses which were incurred by teachers who were witnesses?

I would not like to say anything at this stage, as the Deputy will appreciate.

Under what enactment was this inquiry held?

Under a section of the 1930 Act.

Does that provide for expenses?

It does. In the last subsection it says:

For the purposes of this section the costs of any local inquiry shall be deemed to include such reasonable expenses of witnesses attending such inquiry as the Minister shall allow,

and it also says:

Any moneys due by a vocational education committee to the Minister under this section shall be paid by such committee out of its vocational education fund,

and it qualifies that by certain conditions.

Does that include the fees of counsel retained by a witness?

The section covers all these things.

Did the outcome of the inquiry justify it? The Minister should be indicted.