HC Deb 03 March 1899 vol 67 cc1217-8
CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)

On behalf of the honourable Member for Cork (Mr. Flynn), I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the petition of the A (2) teachers, which was sent to the Secretaries of National Edu- cation, Ireland, on the 14th November last, has yet been considered by the Commissioners of National Education; and, if so, what is the result; and if the said petition has not yet been placed before the Board, could he explain what is the cause of the delay; and whether the Commissioners will take any steps to amend the new regulations by which present A (2) teachers are kept back two years longer from promotion to A (1) than they would have been under the old regulation?

THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND (Mr. GERALD W. BALFOUR,) Leeds Central

The petition of the teachers now in second division of the first class, requesting to be allowed to present themselves for examination on the old programme at the July examinations of the years 1899 and 1900, with a view to obtain the higher division of that class under the former conditions, has been considered by the Commissioners, who are now in communication on the subject with the Government. At the present stage I am unable to make any further statement in the matter. The Commissioners have no intention of permanently altering the conditions laid down in the new programme for the attainment of first division of first class.