§ MR. P. C. DOOGAN (Tyrone, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) whether his proposed Bill to amend the defects and omissions of the Irish Education Act of 1892 will be retrospective as regards the payments of the salaries of officers appointed by school-attendance Committees; and (2) whether it is his intention to insert any provision with reference to the extension of compulsory education to rural districts?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI hope at no very distant date to be able to introduce the Irish Education Act amending Bill; but, pending its introduction, I cannot make any detailed statement as to its provisions. I may say, however, in reply to the second paragraph, that, as at present advised, I am not prepared to include in the Bill a provision to extend the Act to rural districts.