§ MR. J. P. FARRELLTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, in 1905, the Education Board for Ireland notified the local school managers that they had a surplus of school requisites on hand which they were willing to give away; that the right Reverend Monsignor O'Farrell, P.P., V.G., Ardagh, thereupon applied for some for the five Catholic schools in his parish, the pupils on the rolls in which number 396; and that, whilst the one Protestant school in the parish with fifteen pupils on its rolls got their share of these articles, not one of the Catholic schools got theirs; and what explanation there is of this action.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) I am informed by the Commissioners of National Education that applications for the issue of school requisites are dealt with 1053 in the order in which they are received. The fact that the application from the school mentioned in the last part of the Question was dealt with before the applications from the other schools referred to, was due simply to priority of application. All the applications referred to have now been dealt with.