§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that in North and South Wales generally the postmasters are required to possess a knowledge of the Welsh language; whether he will introduce a similar rule respecting the Irish language in Ireland, especially regarding Irish-speaking districts.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) In appointing postmasters to places in Wales, it is the practice to select candidates who have a knowledge of Welsh in cases where the district surveyor reports that such knowledge is necessary. The circumstances in Ireland are not altogether similar, and I have received no evidence that inconvenience has been caused by the present system.