§ MR. JAMES O'CONNOR (Wicklow, W.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the 1539 Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will see that the vested interests of existing teachers in national schools will not be injured by the enforcement of Rule 127b, and that the promotion and increments of principal teachers, and the retention and emoluments of assistant teachers will be based on the present averages in attendance in such schools.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) The interests of teachers of schools which may be amalgamated have been safeguarded, as far as possible, by a regulation made by the Commissioners of National Education, with the approval of the Irish Government and the Treasury. This Regulation provides that where two separate boys' and girls' schools are amalgamated, and the principal of the separate girls' school is retained as assistant in the amalgamated school, grants for such assistant shall be available, even though the average attendance may not be fifty, and salary shall not be withdrawn from such privileged assistant on account of insufficient average attendance.