§ MR. PETER M'DONALD (Sligo, N:)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Poor Law Guardians of Clones and other Unions in Ireland have declined to certify to the Local Government Board, as required by the Probate Duties Act of 1888, that the contributory grant to National teachers is included under the head of "Salaries, &c." as they are empowered to do by that Statute; and, whether he, as head of the Local Government Board, will take steps to enforce this necessary requirement to be complied with, so that an equitable proportion of the Probate Duty Grant shall be applied to supplement the miserable salaries of National teachers in such Unions as do not otherwise become contributory?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe hon. Member appears to be under some misapprehension. By Section 3 of the Probate Duties (Scotland and Ireland) Act, 1888, the basis of the allocation of the grant is confined to the amount expended by the Guardians on the salaries and renumeration, &c, of the officers of the Union in connection with the relief of the poor or under the Medical Charities Act of 1851. Consequently, in making the allocation, no account can be taken of sums contributed or paid by the Guardians under the National School Teachers Act.