§ MR. MACVEAGHI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed at the meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the Irish National Teachers Organisation on 21st May last, with reference to the conditions of awarding increments to teachers in the service at the time of the change who, regardless of their attainments and the efficiency of their schools, were placed in grades lower than the classes they had previously held; and to the similar resolution passed unanimously at the annual congress held in Belfast during last Easter week; and, if so, whether he can state what additional amount of money would be required to comply with the suggestion of these resolutions; and whether, considering the feeling which exists on this matter among both managers and teachers, arising mainly from the impossibility, in the great majority of cases, of obtaining promotion to the highest grade and the increments attached thereto, he will endeavour to give effect to these resolutions in the case of those teachers in the service at the time the new system of payments came into operation.
§ MR. WYNDHAMI have seen copies of the resolutions in question. It would not be practicable, however, to give effect to them without striking at the fundamental principle of the new system of payments—namely, that increases of income are to be the result of continued 1414 good service as teachers. The Rules of the Commissioners in this respect have been liberally applied, though many teachers could not be granted either the increments or promotion for which they were eligible, because their service was not sufficiently satisfactory, or the state of their schools would not warrant their promotion. The additional amount of money that would be required to give advancement, claimed by the resolutions as a right, could not be stated without making intricate inquiries.
In reply to a Question by Mr. SLOAN (Belfast, S.), Mr. WYNDHAM said the Commissioners had taken particular cases into account, with a result that there had been a large increase in the Estimates. He did not think there was any necessity to issue instructions on the subject.