asked the Minister for Education (a) the moneys spent on servicing adult education in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979 (as in Budget estimates) (b) if in respect of the funds spent on adult education (as outlined in (a) above) the moneys so spent through (a) Vocational Educational Committees and (b) Community and Comprehensive schools.

As explained in reply to Question No. 14 on 21 February 1979, a particular amount is not specified for adult education in the provision of grants for comprehensive and community schools and vocational education committees or in the grants to the Higher Education Authority for universities and colleges and designated institutions of higher education. So far as concerns vocational education committees the estimated amount of expenditure from the budgets of the committees in respect of the school years 1976-77, 1977-78 and 1978-79 may be considered to be as follows:

Specific subheads in Votes for which the Minister for Education is responsible and in which financial provision is made for adult education in the financial years 1976, 1977, 1978 and is being made in 1979 are given in a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, will be circulated with the Official Report.

Grants towards the cost of provision of adult education courses are also made by other Government Departments such as the Departments of Agriculture and Labour.

Following is the statement:

Grants-in-Aid to Adult Education Institutions

Would the Minister not agree that the lack of information in relation to the financial expenditure of the Department on adult education is symptomatic of the fact that there is no section within his Department dealing specifically with adult education? In view of the obvious importance of adult education in our community would he not agree that it is time to have such a special section?

I agree entirely with the Deputy in the matter of the importance of adult education. I would venture to say that its progress need not necessarily be inhibited because we do not have special sections or special people monitoring every move. The Deputy knows it might be shown that such vigilance does not operate in accordance with the spirit of what is intended in certain branches of education.

May we take it then that the Minister is not in favour of the establishment within the Department of a special section to deal with adult education?

I would agree that we should make any move that would guarantee the development of adult education but that need not necessarily derive from extra vigilance in the matter of moneys that are allocated to this aspect of education.

The Minister may have misunderstood me. What I am seeking is not extra vigilance but a greater commitment from them and concomitant with that would be the establishment of a section with specific responsibility for the development of adult education.

The Deputy will appreciate that in respect of this year there has been a provision of 0.2 per cent of £1 million in respect of the employment of 50 adult education officers. I am sure the Deputy will accept that that is a move in the direction he would seem to indicate. He may take it that so far as the Department are concerned the needs of adult education will be given the importance, the significance and the attention it deserves. This has been the case in the past, also.

5.