HC Deb 31 July 1906 vol 162 cc720-1
MR. BOLAND

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, when the manager of a national school applies to the Commissioners for sanction to introduce the bilingual programme, is the sanction given or refused on the report of a competent Irish-speaking inspector or on the report of an inspector who knows little or no Irish.

MR. BRYCE

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that when a manager makes application for the introduction of the bilingual programme into his schools, the inspector of the district reports on the application. If the Commissioners have any doubt as to the soundness of the recommendation made by the local inspector, the case is usually sent to one of the special inspectors of Irish for an independent report, before a decision is given by the Board.

MR. BOLAND

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the Statement on page 6 of the Report on the Welsh Intermediate Education system, that the chief inspector reports that, during the past year 2,180 pupils in fifty-three schools received instruction in the Welsh language, an increase of 352 in the number of pupils, and of eight in the number of schools, and that, in three or four years, at the present rate of progress, the Welsh language will attain to a satisfactory position in the county schools; and will ho direct the attention of the National Board in Ireland to this Statement, with a view to its being placed in the hands of those of its inspectors who may still have doubt as to the value of a bilingual system.

MR. BRYCE

I have seen the statement to which the hon. Member refers, and I have no doubt that the attention of the Commissioners of National Education has also been drawn to it. I should, however, remind the hon. Member that the statement refers to secondary schools and not to elementary schools such as the National Board administer. The question of placing the statement in the hands of inspectors is one for the Commissioners to decide, but the policy of the Commissioners in regard to bilingual teaching is of course determined by themselves, and not by their inspectors.