MR. FIELDI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is aware that the 150 family of a National School teacher named Burke, in County Cork, who died in the early part of this year, did not receive the retiring gratuity to which he was entitled as sanctioned by the Treasury; and, whether, seeing that under precisely similar circumstances the retiring gratuity was paid in the case of the family of a teacher named M'Carthy who died at Belfast in April last, he will reconsider his decision in this case?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURIn the case of M'Carthy it happened that the condition of execution by the Lord Lieutenant of the warrant for gratuity was fulfilled prior to the death of the applicant, whereas in the case of Burke this condition was not fulfilled prior to Burke's death, so that the two cases were not precisely similar. The decision in these cases is governed by statutory requirement and in no sense can be regarded as my decision.