HC Deb 19 February 1897 vol 46 cc782-3
MR. KNOX

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has, since his speech on the subject last year, been able to make any advance towards arranging a basis on which the Christian Brothers in Ireland may receive State aid; and, whether he will endeavour to arrange a settlement on the basis of granting to Irish Voluntary Schools (whether under the Christian Brothers or the Church Education Society) a special grant and a fee grant proportionate in total amount to the grant which is to be made to English Voluntary Schools?

MR. GERALD BALFOUR

As the hon. Member is doubtless aware, the Government proposed in last year's Bill to give a registration fee of 10s. for each child in average attendance in the schools referred to in the question. Objection was made to that proposal by the Irish Roman Catholic Bishops on the ground of the smallness of the grant and the absence of a conscience clause. As to the former, the Government did not see their way of increasing it, nor am I prepared to admit the correctness of the analogy drawn by the hon. Member in the question between the schools of the Christian Brothers or the Church Education Society in Ireland and the Voluntary Schools in England. As regards a conscience clause, it would have been inconsistent with the scheme of the Government to impose any conditions on the internal regulations of the schools which it was proposed to assist. I did, however, submit to the hon. Member for East Mayo a draft clause which, while leaving each school free to carry out. its system of education in its own way, appeared to me adequately to meet the objection of the Bishops; but the hon. Member intimated to me that the clause would not, in his opinion, be accepted as sufficient. Since then no further steps have been taken.

MR. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)

asked whether the action of the Roman Catholic hierarchy was not the principal cause of the schools not receiving this grant?

MR. KNOX

asked whether they were to understand, that though, there was an equivalent grant to be made in the case of Scotland none was to be made in the case of Ireland in respect to education this year?

MR. GERALD BALFOUR

That is a question that must be addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.