§ MR. WILLIAM KENNY (Dublin, St. Stephen's Green)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has been called to what purports to be a report of a meeting of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, contained in The Irish Daily Independent newspaper of the 24th instant; does that report contain an accurate copy of his letter to the Commissioners on the subject of the proposed new rules of the Board; whether the object of these rules was to admit to the benefits of National Education Grants denominational schools in certain districts in Ireland, and in particular the schools of the Christian Brothers; and if the Christian Brothers are prepared to accept a conscience clause as insisted on in his letter?
MR. J. MORLEYI have not care-fully collated the published reports of my letter, but I am told that, substantially, it was an accurate reprint of my letter. With regard to the other question on the Paper I have only to repeat what I have said before, that I deprecate placing the points on this subject piecemeal before the House, and I hope the hon. Member will not think it a slight and discourtesy if I defer satisfying his curiosity for a little while longer, until the whole subject is placed before the House.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)asked whether, seeing that the proceedings of the Board of National Education were regularly published in The Daily Independent, Dublin, he could not see that the public had fair-play, and direct that the meetings should be held in public.
MR. J. MORLEYI am told that their proceedings are not published with exact accuracy. I have no power over the National Board, or authority to direct them. I understand that they passed a resolution that their proceedings should not be public but private, but in spite of this some one hands them over to an organ of the Press.
§ MR. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)Is not that the usual thing with Irish confidential documents?
§ MR. W. REDMOND (Clare, E.)asked whether, as three years had elapsed and nothing had been done in the meetings of the Christian Brothers, arid in view of the public impatience, the Chief Secretary would avail himself of the earliest opportunity to take the public into his confidence and let them know what had been done.
MR. MORLEYThe best and proper time for what the hon. Member calls taking the public into my confidence will be when we come to a decision. He must be aware that in discussions of this kind a great many points have to be settled and considered, and premature publicity would be prejudicial to the interests we all have at heart.