§ MR. BLANE (Armagh, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland have determined not to appoint any more monitors, on the plea that the country is overstocked with teachers; and, if so, what compensation they intend to offer to the monitors who may lose appointment as assistant teachers; whether the Government will consider the desirability of prolonging the apprenticeship, at an increased salary, of the present staff of monitors who may be unable to obtain the promise of a school, and would thus be debarred from entering the Training College; and, whether in the large convent schools paid by Capitation Grant, one out of every two of the out-going monitors may be retained as assistant teacher, and allowed the usual salary by the be are?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)The 708 Commissioners of National Education inform me that they have merely suspended the appointment of new monitors until next July, owing to excess in the number over the requirements of the service. No question of compensation arises. The Commissioners do not consider it expedient to prolong the period of monitorship.