MR. FIELDI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, although the Corporation of Dublin is walling to work the Compulsory Clauses of the Irish Education Act, it has been advised that the rate by which the expenses are to he discharged, and described in the Act as local rate, is an insufficient definition to enable the Corporation to levy any rate for the purposes of the Act, and has also been advised this defect can only be remedied by an Act of Parliament; whether the Corporation, or any other body, communicated the terms of this legal opinion to the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, or to the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and when was the opinion first communicated; whether the difficulty of which the Dublin Corporation has been advised affects all other or any, and, if so, what other, cities and towns; whether, as the compulsory attendance provisions of the Act will come into operation on the 1st January, 1894, be will promote a Bill during this Session of Parliament to remedy this defect; whether, in case any Local Authority should neglect to work the Act, is it the intention of the Commissioners of National Education forthwith, after the 1st of January, to appoint School Attendance Committees, and see that the Act is carried into effect; whether, if so, in what way do the Commissioners intend to raise the funds necessary for the expenses of such School Attendance Committee; and 1696 whether the Commissioners of the Irish Government have obtained any legal opinion for their guidance on the point raised by the legal advisers of the Dublin Corporation; and, if so, what is the nature of such opinion?
MR. J. MORLEYI am aware that legal advice has been given to the Corporation of Dublin to the effect mentioned. It is true they communicated on the subject to the National Board of Education. The Board have communicated with me, and the matter is now under the consideration of the Irish Law Officers. I suspect that it will be necessary to introduce a short amending Bill.
MR. FIELDAm I to understand that the Government will take such measures as are necessary to enable the Compulsory Clauses of the Act to be put into operation?
§ In reply to Mr. SEXTON,
MR. J. MORLEYsaid, the whole of the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown had not yet been received.