§ MR. BIGGARasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If his attention has been called to the Belfast Workhouse Chaplain's Report, as contained in the newspaper accounts of the proceedings of the Belfast Board of Guardians of the 24th June 1884, in which the Belfast Workhouse Schools were described as being "in a most horrible and filthy condition," and that blankets and other valuable bedding of the schools had been wantonly destroyed by a number of schoolboys who had been unwarrantably locked up for many hours in one of the wings of the school buildings; is it a fact that the schoolmasters admitted their incapacity to govern these schools; is it true that they were continued in office notwithstanding; is the schoolmaster, Mr. Spratt, the same person who broke Charles Wainwright's arm on 9th November 1883; is the schoolmaster, Mr. Madden, who recently prosecuted a Catholic pupil for insubordination, and who since refused to prosecute a Protestant pupil (because of his religion) on a similar charge (although ordered to do so by the workhouse master), the same person who was charged with cursing the Pope in the public streets, and fined by the late J. C. O'Donnell, R.M. for said offence; and, will he inquire whether either of these teachers should be continued in office?
§ MR. TREVELYANIt is a fact that reports have been made showing that the Belfast Workhouse School is not in a satisfactory condition. Complaints have been made as to the rooms having been found in a filthy condition, and as to bedding having been maliciously destroyed by the boys. I believe there is no evidence to show that the schoolmasters ever admitted their incapacity to govern the schools. They are still in office; but some days ago the Local Government Board communicated to the Guardians their opinion that they should take into consideration the propriety of making a complete change in the staff of masters. A special committee of the Guardians has been appointed to consider and report on their recommendation. This committee will meet to-day. With regard to the specific complaints against 194 the teachers, mentioned in the Question, it appears that Mr. Spratt is the person who was alleged to have broken a boy's arm last November; but the Local Government Board Inspector reports that the matter was fully investigated by the Guardians, who found the occurrence was purely accidental. As regards Mr. Madden, there are no grounds for the statement that he prosecuted a Roman Catholic boy. He declined to prosecute a Protestant boy for assault, because it was very trivial, and he did not wish to bring a boy into Court for so slight an offence. He was fined, as stated in the Question, four years ago.