HC Deb 03 August 1905 vol 151 cc88-90
MR. BOLAND

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if the arrangement recently made with the authorities of Trinity College, Dublin, by which the Commissioners of Intermediate Education in Ireland have reversed their regulation against publishing the results of their annual examinations was voted unanimously by the Commissioners; and, if not, will he state the numbers that voted against it, and also publish the Minutes of the meeting of the Commissioners at which it was discussed.

MR. WALTER LONG

I will at the same time reply to the Question of the hon. Member for North Dublin. The arrangement referred to applies to the exhibition and prize lists only. The privilege mentioned is not limited to Trinity College, but will be afforded to all educational bodies which offer prizes to intermediate students on the results of the Board's examinations. The offer to furnish the written answers of the students was made by the Assistant Commissioners on the authority of the Board. There has been no precedent, as no similar proposal had previously come before the Board. The question of disclosing the proceedings at the Board's meetings is one for the Board to deal with. It will be submitted to the next meeting of the Board.

The following is the Question of the hon. Member for North Dublin:—

MR. CLANCY (Dublin County, N,)

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the correspondence between the Board of Intermediate Education in Ireland and the authorities of Trinity College, Dublin, in the course of which the former body offers to place at the disposal of the latter not only the marks obtained at the intermediate examinations by the most distinguished students and the subjects in which they have been examined, but also the written answers of the students; whether any resolution was passed authorising the secretaries of the Board to offer, in the name of the Board, to furnish those answers; whether there is any precedent for such an offer; and whether he will lay upon the Table of the House copies of the Minutes of the meeting or meetings of the Board of Intermediate Education at which this matter was discussed and dealt with.

MR. CLANCY

Is it the right hon. Gentleman's view that Trinity College should be specially favoured?

MR. WALTER LONG

No, certainly not.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

It is, all the same.