§ MR. LUNDON (Limerick, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that the amalgamation of the male and female schools, in the case of the national school in Banogue, county Limerick, has been carried out by the Commissioners of Education against the advice and opinion of the manager; whether, seeing that for the ordinary school work all the pupils, including infants, are taught in one room, he will state what is the number of children on the rolls; what are the dimensions of the school room; what floor space does it afford per child for the number on the rolls; is any classroom or cloak-room attached to it; and whether, seeing that the infant children are compelled to stand for hours every day for want of desks, and that there is no room for additional desks, will he say if the Commissioners still intend that this amalgamation shall be maintained.
§ MR WALTER LONGThe separate schools were, before amalgamation, under one roof. The manager protested against the amalgamation solely because the average attendance had been reduced owing to illness. The schoolhouse contains two rooms, each 34 feet by 18 feet. There are eighty-four children on the rolls, and therefore 14 square feet of floor space is available for each child. There is a room for each of the two teachers, and no additional class-room is necessary.