§ MR. M'GOVERNI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, on the division of the Fermanagh Royal School Endowment, the first chairman of the Roman Catholic Local Board of Education gave a written undertaking, dated the 20th October. 1886, to spend half the Roman Catholic portion of the endow- 1586 ment in maintaining an intermediate school in Enniskillen; that, on the 3rd January, 1900, the present chairman of the Roman Catholic Local Board of Education, in a written statement to the Commissioners of Education, also undertook to have an intermediate school established in Enniskillen; and that, notwithstanding these undertakings, no steps have yet been taken to establish such a school: whether he is aware that the Fermanagh Roman Catholic Board, while alleging that they have no longer any power under a scheme of the 22nd May, 1891, to establish a new school, have opposed a petition of the Roman Catholics of county Fermanagh, to the Commissioners of Education, to have the scheme so altered as to provide for such a school at Enniskillen, and advised the Commissioners not to advise any alteration; and whether the Commissioners of Education will now recommend that the scheme of 22nd May. 1891, be so modified as to compel the Roman Catholic Local Board to carry out the undertakings referred to.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe Commissioners of Education have no knowledge of any undertaking such as that mentioned in the first part of the question. But in January, L900, a written statement was submitted to the Commissioners embodying a proposal of the Chairman of the Fermanagh Roman Catholic Board of Education to theeffect that a guarantee fund would be locally raised with a view to the allocation of a fair share of the endowment to an intermediate school to he established in Enniskillen. So far as the Commissioners are aware that proposal was not accepted. The Fermanagh Board has no longer any power, under the scheme of 1891, to establish a new school. It has asked the Commissioners not to advise the alteration of the scheme. In answer to the third paragraph, the Commissioners in January of last year arrived at the conclusion that there were no grounds for applying to the Board of Charitable Donations and Bequests to make any change in the scheme.