§ MR. JUSTIN M'CARTHY (Londonderry)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether complaints have reached him that the result of not holding Schools of Instruction for Militia officers in Ireland for a long time has been injurious to the Service; and whether steps will he taken to have them revived, or to allow officers of the rank of Lieutenant and Captain to be attached to Line regiments, under the same rules laid down for schools as regards pay, &c., so that they may have an opportunity of qualifying for promotion, and be saved from the inconvenience and expense of attending schools outside of Ireland?
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. E. STANHOPE,) Lincolnshire, HorncastleThe minimum number for a class of instruction is 10 officers; and such a class would be organised at Dublin if there were sufficient applicants. At present, however, there are not. Under the Militia Regulations a subaltern may be 1245 attacked to a Line regiment or a regimental district anywhere in the United Kingdom, for which he received the same pay and allowance as if he attended a class of instruction; but this Regulation does not extend to Captains, who only receive these advantages on attending the class. I may, however, remark that the certificate for promotion to Major may be obtained by service with his own regiment without attending a class of instruction at all.