§ MR. E. F.VESEY KNOX (Cavan, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the announcement of the Vice-President of the Council, promising to instruct the Inspectors that in assessing the grants they should judge leniently schools now shortly to be inspected whose efficiency had been temporarily impaired owing to irregular attendance caused by the recent inclement weather, he will advise the National Board to issue similar instructions to Inspectors in Ireland?
MR. J. MORLEYI have communicated with the National Board in reference to the point urged by my hon. Friend, but have not heard from them. I understand, however, that the Commissioners have always made it an invariable rule to consider exceptional circumstances of a temporary nature, such as the severity of the weather, in applying the regulation as to prescribed average school attendance.