HC Deb 03 July 1876 vol 230 cc868-9
MR. O'REILLY

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, in reference to the alleged delays in certifying and paying for results in National Schools in Ireland, Whether it is the fact that the following schools were examined and paid at the dates stated:—

Examined for Results. Results Paid. Examination Rolls returned.
1. Edgeworths-town Male School Mar. 1875 Dec. 1875 Jan. 1876
2. Edgeworths-town Female School do. do. Oct. do. Nov. 1875
3. Monedarragh Male School July do. do. do. do. do.
4. Monedarragh Female Sc. do. do. Mar. 1876 Oct. do.

and, if so, what were the causes of this delay?

SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH

Sir, the dates given in the hon. Member's Question are, I believe, substantially accurate. I have already informed him of the main reason for the exceptional delay in making these payments in 1875—namely, that it was not until an advanced period of October that the Commissioners of National Education knew what Unions had become contributory under the National Teachers' Act of last Session, and the payments for results were necessarily delayed until this was ascertained. There were, however, special causes in addition to this for delay in three of the four cases quoted by the hon. Member. The Report of the Edgeworthstown male school was very unfavourable, and had to undergo special consideration before payment was made. The issue was, that the teacher was very severely reprimanded and warned that if the next Report were unsatisfactory he would be fined. There was a correspondence with the Inspector about the payment to the Monedarragh male school; and the very long delay in making the payment to the female school at the same place was mainly due to the manager of the school. The receipts, though issued to him in October, were never returned by him. In March, the Commissioners wishing to save the teachers from the total loss of the payment, sent duplicate receipts, and on the return of these the payment was made. The examination rolls are returned as rapidly as possible after the payments have been made and the statistics abstracted. The really important knowledge required by the teacher—namely, the result of the examination as shown by the promotion of the pupils from class to class, is furnished to him within a week of the examination by the Inspector.