§ MR. TULLYI beg to ask the Chie Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Commissioners of National Education can explain why the salary of the principal teacher of the Cootehall Male National School, Circuit 7A, Roll No. 7402, was reduced on the 1st January last from £134 to £116, seeing that this teacher has been 34 years in office and in the first division of first class for the last 20 years; whether he is aware that the average attendance in this school, calculated on 200 school days, had been for year ending 31st December last 34.46; and whether, seeing that the school had been in operation for only 203 days of the year, and the latter six months had been exceptionally wet, the Board will take these circumstances into consideration and order this teacher to be paid his full salary.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe salary of this teacher was reduced because the average attendance for the preceding year failed to reach 35, the mimimum number which would, under the Commissioners' Rules, warrant the continuance of first grade salary. The average was 34.1 only—and even if it were 34.46 as mentioned, the Commissioners could not regard it as having reached the required minimum.