§ MR. SEXTONI wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman the First Lord of the Treasury what arrangement of business he proposes to make for the present week? Thursday next is a day on which most of the Irish Members will be absent, and on the day before and after, and I hope the right hon. Gentleman will be able to arrange that no Irish business of importance will be taken on those days.
§ MR. MACNEILLI would ask the right hon. Gentleman not to take the Indian Budget, or the Indian Councils Bill on next Thursday.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELLI should be glad to know, in common with many other Irish Members, when the Irish Education Bill is to be introduced and read a first time, so that it may be printed and circulated?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am conscious of the great inconvenience which hon. Members in the House, and many outside the House, have experienced from the fact that the Irish Education Bill has not been introduced sooner. But looking at the position in which Supply is at present, I regret that I do not see any immediate prospect of resuming the Debate on the Irish Education Bill; and still more do I regret that it cannot be printed and circulated. I would remind the House that owing principally, though not entirely, to the amount of time that was taken up last week in the discussion of Private Bills, Supply is not nearly so much advanced as we had reasonably a right to expect, and unless we are fortunate enough tonight not only to get the Navy Estimates, but to make substantial progress with the Supplementary Estimates, it will be necessary for me to put down a Motion to-morrow asking the House for further facilities on the part of the Government. My hope is that we shall be able to make very much more rapid progress with the Estimates than hitherto, and my idea is that to-night we might get the Navy Estimates, and that to-morrow morning and evening we may 767 be able to finish all the Supplementary Estimates, except the Scotch Vote, and the Report of that Vote in which the hon. Member for West Belfast is peculiarly interested—I mean the Irish Teachers' Fund. Supposing all that is done on Tuesday, then on Thursday we shall take the Vote on Account, and on Friday the Vote for Scotch Education, and the Vote that has to be taken in Committee of Ways and Means. That will enable us to introduce the Appropriation Bill on Monday, and to make compliance with the provisions of the Statute. I cannot give more than this general indication to the course of Business, because much must depend upon the rapidity we are able to deal with questions as they arise.
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (Stirling, &c.)The right hon. Gentleman has just referred to the Scotch Vote for Education. I wish it was for education, but is it not for the relief of taxation?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, that is so.