§ MR. DEASY (Mayo, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the usual course pursued by the Board of National Education in Ireland, in the case of a teacher accused of an offence against the law, is to await the issue of a trial in a Court of Law before dismissing him; and, whether this course was taken with Mr. Cunningham, teacher of Tonragee School, in the Westport District, who has been dismissed for an alleged libel on Mr. Henn, R.M.?
THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING HARMAN)(who replied) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)said, he was informed that the usual course pursued by the Commissioners of National Education, where a charge admitted of being made the subject of a criminal investigation, was to await the issue of such prosecution. In the case mentioned in the Question, however, there was no such prosecution.
§ MR. DEASYinquired, if it was a fact that a man who resided in the district attended before the Commissioners and stated that it was he, and not Mr. Cunningham, who wrote the libel?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANsaid, he was not aware. As he understood it, the libel was contained in a communication to a newspaper; and, on being threatened with proceedings, the proprietors of the paper gave the letter up, when it was found to be in Mr. Cunningham's writing.