MR. PATRICK O'BRIENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether he is aware that Miss Margaret Ryan, who served with distinction under the Board of National Education for 44 years, 10 years of which she was head mistress of Templemore National School, 8 years as head mistress of Kilkenny Model School, and 26 years as organiser of Convent National Schools, has been granted on her retirement a pension of only £77 10s. per annum; (2) whether Miss Ryan was entitled according to the rules of the service, as administered in the case of other teachers of less distinguished services, to a pension of £90 per annum for 40 years' service as head mistress; (3) whether he is aware that Miss Ryan resigned the position of head mistress of Kilkenny Model School at the repeated and urgent request of the officers of the National Board of Education in order to take up the position of organiser of the Convent Schools; (4) is he aware that, in addition to these distinguished services, Miss Ryan educated and passed to the grade of first class nearly 40 teachers, who subsequently became distinguished in the service of the Board of National Education; and (5) whether, under the circumstances of the case, he will recommend the Board of National Education to reconsider Miss Ryan's claim to an increase of pension as has been done in 1577 the case of Dr. Joyce and others who more recently retired?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe facts appear to be as stated in the first paragraph. Mrs Ryan left the Model School service in 1862, and in her new position of organiser of National Schools her case fell within the scope of the Civil Service Superannuation Act of 1859. The Teachers' Pension Act, under which she might have qualified for a higher pension had she remained in the Model School service, was not passed until 1879, 17 years after she had left the Model School service. The Commissioners of National Education have no knowledge of the facts alleged in the third paragraph. Her acceptance of the position of organiser was purely voluntary on her part. The Commissioners see no reason for questioning the accuracy of the statement in the fourth paragraph. There is no analogy, I am informed, between the case of Miss Ryan and that of Dr. Joyce.