§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Government is still determined to refuse the claims of the Irish Christian Brothers to some participation in the public funds provided for primary education in Ireland; whether he is aware that this Order of teachers possess over 70 establishments in Ireland, and educate 40,000 children of the working classes, and that the Royal Commissions of 1854 and 1868 reported most favourably of their system of education and its results; whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Brothers do not object to the inspection and examination of their schools, nor do they object to submit the schools and the results of the teaching to open and public competition; and whether, in view of the immense services rendered to the cause of primary and intermediate education by the Brothers, he is prepared to make some recommendation on their behalf to the proper authorities?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe subject-matter of this question was fully dealt with in my reply to a similar question put on the 19th of May, 1890. As I then pointed out, various Orders of Monks, including the French Order of Christian Brothers, find no difficulty in taking advantage of the public grants and putting themselves under the general regulations of the National Education Board, and I therefore do not see that it is necessary to make a special modification of the rules in favour of one Monastic Order.
§ In answer to Mr. SEXTON,
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid: I have no doubt the Christian Brothers did excellent work before the national system of education was developed, but I do not know that that ought to modify the general policy of Parliament.