§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that the schools of the Christian Brothers are recognised by the Board of Intermediate Education in Ireland on a footing of absolute equality with the other schools of the country as regards admitting the pupils of the schools to the examinations of the Board, awarding prizes, exhibitions, &c, to the students successful at these examinations, and paying results fees to the managers of the schools; whether these schools, which in the main are primary schools, are excluded by the rules of the National Education Board from a share in the grant annually voted by Parliament for the work of primary education in Ireland; whether attention is called to this anomaly in the Report of the Educational Endowments Commission for 1886–7; whether in the same Report attention is directed to the advantages which would result to education in Ireland if the regulations by which these schools are at present denied recognition by the National Education Board were modified in a certain class of cases, so as to enable these schools to place themselves in connection with that Board; whether his attention has been called to the Report of the Royal Commission of 1868–70, which strongly recommended this modification in the class of cases in question, that is to say, in localities where the children of the various denomina- 1309 tions are provided with schools of their own; whether this recommendation is based by the Commissioners on the fact that, in practice, the attendance in the primary schools in Ireland is to a very large extent unmixed as regards the religions denomination of the pupils; whether the number of unmixed schools, which in 1867 was 2,562, has increased in 1889 to 4,303; and the percentage of such schools similarly increased from 40.2 to 52.5; whether the number of Roman Catholic children in unmixed schools, which was 380,000 in 1867, has increased in 1889 to 574,660; whether it is competent for the National Education Board to make the modification in question; and whether the Irish Government are prepared to recommend this matter to the consideration of the Board; and, if necessary, convey Government sanction?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.I do not think that I have really anything to add to the answer which I have already given on this subject. The subject matter of this question was fully dealt with in my reply to a similar one put on May 19th, 1890, and referred to in my reply to a further question asked on the 5th inst. 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.
§ MR. SEXTONThe right hon. Gentleman has not stated whether the number of Roman Catholic children in unmixed schools, and the number of such schools themselves, have increased since 1867.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, Sir; I believe the figures given in the question, as regards the number of such schools, are accurate, and that the number of Roman Catholic children in those has increased.
§ MR. SEXTONIs it competent for the National Education Board to make the modification in question?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI apprehend that it would not be competent for the Board to make any great change without statutory authority.