§ MR. CAREW (Kildare, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the resolution which was unanimously adopted at a recent meeting of the Naas Town Commissioners, in which they express their opinion that in allocations of public money towards the promotion of primary and technical education the claims of the Christian Brothers to recognition and support are entitled to the consideration of the Government, and that a portion of Ireland's share in the surplus should be applied in providing technical instruction in Ireland; and whether in the proposed Bill he will introduce a clause giving effect to the above resolution?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURA copy of the resolution of the Naas Town Commissioners does not appear to have reached the Irish Government. But, as I have pointed out in reply to previous questions on the subject, it is quite open to the Christian Brothers' Order to take advantage of the public grants for primary education by putting themselves under the general regulations of the National Education Board, a course which various Orders of Monks, including the French Order of Christian Brothers, find no difficulty in adopting. As regards the suggestion with respect to technical instruction, I am, of course, most anxious to encourage it; how far it can be done as part of the general scheme now in preparation is a matter for careful consideration, and will in part depend on whether the scheme for freeing education leaves any available surplus.