UNIVERSITY COLLEGE GALWAY ACT, 1929

AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR INCREASING THE ANNUAL GRANT PAYABLE TO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, GALWAY, AND FOR SECURING THAT PERSONS APPOINTED TO OFFICES AND SITUATIONS IN THAT COLLEGE SHALL BE COMPETENT TO DISCHARGE THEIR DUTIES THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF THE IRISH LANGUAGE. [17th December, 1929.]

WHEREAS under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, an annual grant of twelve thousand pounds is now payable to University College, Galway, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas:

AND WHEREAS the Governing Body of the said College has lately made provision by statute for securing that certain of the professors and lecturers of the said College shall deliver their lectures in the Irish language, and proposes to take such further steps as circumstances may permit to secure that an increasing proportion of the academic and administrative functions of the said College shall be performed through the medium of the Irish language:

AND WHEREAS the said Governing Body has lately reduced the fees payable in the said College by the students thereat and has also undertaken to establish a scholarship scheme for students at the said College who are native speakers of the Irish language:

AND WHEREAS by reason of the matters hereinbefore recited and the fall in the value of money in recent years the said annual grant of twelve thousand pounds has become inadequate for the needs of the said College:

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS OF SAORSTÁT EIREANN AS FOLLOWS:—

1 Definition.

1.—In this Act the expression “the College” means University College, Galway.

2 Increase of annual grant.

2.—(1) So much of sub-section (2) of section 7 of the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and the Third Schedule to that Act as provides for the payment of the annual sum of twelve thousand pounds to the College shall cease to have effect as from the 31st day of March, 1930, and in lieu thereof it is hereby enacted that there shall be paid to the College, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, the sum of twenty-eight thousand pounds in the financial year beginning on the 1st day of April, 1930, and in every subsequent financial year.

• (2) Towards meeting further the cost of such measures as the College may hereafter take with a view to increasing the proportion of instruction given through the medium of the Irish language, or making better provision for the study of the Irish language and literature, the Minister for Finance may, if and when he so thinks fit, by order made on the recommendation of the Minister for Education increase the said sum of twenty-eight thousand pounds by such sum not exceeding two thousand pounds as shall be specified in such order, and the Minister for Finance may by any subsequent order similarly made further increase the said sum of twenty-eight thousand pounds but so that the amount of such increase together with all increases previously made under this sub-section shall not exceed the sum of two thousand pounds.

• (3) Whenever an order is made under the foregoing sub-section, the said sum of twenty-eight thousand pounds payable to the College under this section shall, for the financial year current at the date of such order and every subsequent financial year, be increased in accordance with such order and be paid to the College accordingly out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

• (4) Every order made by the Minister for Finance under this section shall be laid before Dáil Eireann as soon as may be after it is made and if Dáil Eireann shall, within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which it has sat, pass a resolution annulling such order, such order shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under such order.

• (5) All moneys paid to the College under this section shall be applied by the College for the general purposes of the College.

3 Obligation to appoint Irish speakers.

3.—It shall be the duty of the Senate of the National University of Ireland, the Governing Body of the College, or the President of the College (as the case may be), when making an appointment to any office or situation in the College, to appoint to such office or situation a person who is competent to discharge the duties thereof through the medium of the Irish language: provided a person so competent and also suitable in all other respects is to be found amongst the persons who are candidates or otherwise available for such appointment.

4 Short title.

4.—This Act may be cited as the University College Galway Act, 1929.