§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is true that all the officials of the Donegal Workhouse, the master, matron, clerk, medical officer, sanitary officer, porter, &c. are Protestants, although 90 per cent of the inmates are Catholics; whether the guardians of the Donegal Union have refused to appoint a Catholic catechist, at the nominal salary of eight pounds a-year, to give religious instruction to the Catholic children in the Donegal Workhouse, and whether they have persisted in this refusal, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the Local Government Board; whether the Catholic chaplain has accordingly resigned, with the sanction of his Bishop, in consequence of such refusal to provide catechetical instruction for the children; whether he is aware that the Catholic ratepayers have called upon the four Catholic guardians to resign also, in consequence of the fruitlessness of all popular endeavour to oppose the Anti-Catholic policy of the majority of the board; and, what steps he proposes to take to obtain for the Catholic children and other Catholic inmates of the Donegal Workhouse the requisite protection for their religious convictions which has been refused by the majority of the guardians?
§ MR. TREVELYANIt is the case. Sir, that the officials mentioned are Protestants, and that over 80 per cent of the inmates of the workhouse are Roman Catholics. The Guardians of the Donegal Union at first consented to the proposed appointment of a Roman Catholic Catechist, and the Local Government Board was prepared to approve the arrangement; but the Guardians subsequently rescinded their resolution, and have since adhered to that decision. The Catholic chaplain has threatened to resign; but he has not actually tendered his resignation. I have no information as to the alleged communication between the Roman Catholic ratepayers and Guardians. The Local Government Board have no power to make the appointment themselves, and they regret that the Guardians should refuse to acquiesce in a proposal which appears to be reasonable.