§ MR. THOMAS O'DONNELLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state whether the instructions issued by the Board of National Education in or about February, 1904, to their inspectors, which formed the subject of a debate in this House on March 14th, 1904, resulting in the defeat of the Government, have ever been withdrawn, or whether, in whole or in part, they have since been put in operation.
§ MR. WALTER LONGThe instructions dated January (not February), 1904, were considered ambiguous in some respects, and the Board of National Education had agreed, prior to March 14th, to remove the ambiguities by the issue of a fresh circular of instructions. The form of the new circular was in fact outlined by my right Ion. friend the Member for Dover in replying to a Question put to him by their, on. Member on March 8th†, 1904.
† See (4) Debates, exxxi., 460.380 The modified instructions have since been acted upon.
§ MR. THOMAS O'DONNELLI have not seen the circular, but is it a fact that children up to the fourth standard are prevented from learning Irish?
§ MR. WALTER LONGI must ask for notice of that.