§ MR. O'HANLON (Cavan, E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Did he read the address, delivered in Belfast on the 3rd of April, at the annual conference of the Northern Union of Irish National Teachers; whether he is prepared to advise the Government to make a grant of at least £50,000 to that badly paid class, the Irish school teachers; and, whether he will say by what date a Bill will be brought in by the Government to put the Irish National teachers on equal grounds with the teachers of England and Scotland?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)I have seen the address referred to, and greatly 1365 regret that anything I have said in this House should be interpreted as indicating that I do not sympathize with the difficulties under which the National school teachers may labour. It will always be my desire to do anything in my power to improve their position; but I am met by the same difficulty which my Predecessors have been unable to surmount—namely, that already the contribution from Treasury sources towards elementary education in Ireland is enormously greater per child than in England or Scotland, while the contribution from local sources is enormously less; and I cannot at present see my way to increasing this disparity, as the hon. Member seems to suggest.
§ MR. O'HANLONWhen will the Government introduce a Bill to improve the position of the Irish National teachers?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI thought I had already intimated that the Government have no proposals to make on the subject. I greatly regret our inability to do anything in the matter.