MR. O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, in consequence of the destruction by fire of the Clenor Male National School, county Cork, including the records of attendances of the pupils, no results' examinations have been held this year, and no results' fees paid; and, whether, under the circumstances, he will consider the advisability of recommending the Commissioners of National Education to relax the strict rule requiring the individual attendances of each pupil to be set forth, and to comply with the application of the manager of the school, the Rev. R. Ahern, for the payment of results' fees for the number pointed out by the teacher as having given the minimum number of attendances?
§ MR. TREVELYANThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that they could not pay result fees except upon satisfactory evidence of the attendance of the pupils, and that, in the case of the Clenor School, such evidence has not been produced. The practice of the Board in all such cases is invariably the same. The matter is 1137 one which must rest with them for decision; but I will communicate with the Board again, with the view of ascertaining whether, if the difficulty is caused solely by the accidental destruction of the school records by fire, there is any means by which it can be overcome.