§ MR. W. J. CORBET (Wicklow, E.)asked the President of the Local Government Board, Is it true that the Board of Guardians of St. George's, Hanover Square, were recently compelled, by an outbreak of fever, to send a large number of the children from their schools at Ashford to other district schools; is it true that an offer was made to receive the Catholic children into Catholic schools, and was refused; and, will he inquire into the circumstances, and inform the House of the grounds of such refusal?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Mr. JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN) (Birmingham, W.)We are aware that, in consequence of an outbreak of fever at the schools at Ashford, certain children belonging to the St. George's Union were sent to other 633 schools while alterations in the drainage arrangements were being made. On the 6th of last month we were informed that about seven Roman Catholic children had been sent to a school at which it was stated they had no opportunity of receiving instruction in their religion or of attending its services. The case of two girls was specially referred to. We communicated with the Guardians of the St. George's Union on the subject, and were informed that the mothers of the two girls had taken their discharge from the workhouse on the 6th of February, and that the children had been delivered to their care. All the other Roman Catholic children, we were told, were removed on the 12th of February to the Fulham Road Workhouse, where there is a paid Roman Catholic instructor, and a chapel for the inmates has been provided, and that arrangements had been made for sending the Roman Catholic children daily to the schools attached to St. Mary's Priory.