asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that publicly subsidised facilities in UCD have been made available to a club, the UCD staff common room, which explicitly excludes from membership certain staff of UCD because of their occupational status and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The regulation of clubs and societies and the provision of facilities for them are matters for the authorities of the university colleges concerned. I have no responsibility and the Deputy should communicate directly with the college.

Can the Minister say whether any of these facilities are subvented by the Department and, if so, would he not agree that staff in the domestic category should have the same rights of access to these facilities as have professors or other academic staff?

I am not aware that the Department subvent any of these groups or societies. They may well be subvented from within the college's budget but there could be indirect involvement in so far as the Department make money available by way of the Higher Education Authority to this college but there is no direct subvention of the facilities outlined by the Deputy. The rules and regulations as to who these clubs or societies admit are matters for themselves and would not be within my area of competence.

If the facility is funded by the taxpayer through the Department, would the Minister not agree that similar arrangements should be made for all categories of staff in the matter of access to the facilities? Perhaps the Minister would use his good offices in this regard.

These facilities are not necessarily funded by the taxpayer. A global amount of money is made available to the college concerned but under their governing body the college are autonomous in the matter of the day to day running of the college. I have no information as to who is either admitted to or excluded from these clubs and societies but, in any event, this is an area in which it would not be correct for me to interfere. Obviously it is not a matter that I would wish to become involved in.