LORD A. HILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland why, in violation of the Irish Education Act, 1892, Section 3, the Commissioners of National Education, in making the appointment to the Banbridge School Attendance Committee, passed over two local managers of schools, who are willing to act, and appointed other gentlemen who are not managers or patrons, and who have never taken any interest in national school education in Banbridge?
MR. J. MORLEYThe Commissioners of National Education are not aware of any violation of the Act in the making of their appointments of half the School Attendance Committee. Of the five members appointed by the Commissioners three are managers of National schools. The Commissioners are not bound to appoint more managers than one-half of the members appointed by them. The Commissioners took into account, when making their appointments, that 39.5 per cent. of the population of the locality are members of the late Established Church. Of the two Irish Church managers of schools of the locality, one consented to act and was appointed; the other declined. Two lay Church members were in addition appointed by the Commissioners, making, together with the one Church member appointed by the Local Authority, a total of four Church members on the committee, as the equitable representation of that denomination. The entire committee is now constituted as follows:— Two Roman Catholics, four members of the Irish Church, three Presbyterians, and one Unitarian.