§ MR. SEXTONOn behalf of the hon. and gallant Member for East Cork, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that result fees for Irish are not allowed to National school teachers in Ireland in respect to pupils under the fifth class; and whether, in view of the importance in Irish-speaking districts of employing the vernacular in the junior classes as a means of teaching English, and of the fact that the majority of pupils leave school before reaching the fifth class, he will advise the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland to consider the desirability of extending the system of result fees in Irish to all classes?
MR. J. MORLEYResults fees for Irish are not paid for pupils lower than the fifth class. The Commissioners have informed me that the existing arrangement limiting the award of results fees for proficiency in the Irish language to pupils in the fifth and sixth classes was 365 only determined after mature consideration, and that at present they see no sufficient reason for altering the arrangement.
§ MR. SEXTONAs most of the children in Ireland leave school before the fifth class is reached, does it not appear that the exclusion of Irish deprives them of the opportunity of being taught English through the vernacular in districts where Irish is the only language spoken?