COLONEL NOLANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what is the proportionate majority which His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant considers must exist in the Irish Board of Education, before he assents to the recommendations of that Board; if he, when in his letter of the 27th ultimo he states that the Irish Government are fully sensible of the importance of enabling as many primary schools as possible to share at the earliest opportunity in the public grants for educational purposes, includes among such schools those of the Christian Brothers; and if Her Majesty's Government intends to take an early and material step to extend the ordinary educational grant to the Christian Brothers?
MR. J. MORLEY(1) Assent to recommendations of the Irish National Board of Education must, of course, depend ultimately upon the merits, but the circumstances of a proposed change being recommended with something like unanimity by the Commissioners of National Education would undoubtedly: add weight and authority to such a proposal. (2) Certainly the remark in my 678 letter includes the Christian Brothers' schools. (3) I am not in a position at the present moment to state the intentions of the Government in this matter.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELLDid the rules adopted by the Board apply solely to the schools of the Christian Brothers?
§ MR. SEXTONDid the right hon. Gentleman in his letter promise to consider any further suggestion or recommend the Board to reconsider the matter?
MR. J. MORLEYNo, Sir. But, of course, if the Board think fit to make any further proposals they will have the careful attention of Her Majesty's Government.