§ Mr. O'SHEE (Waterford, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, in conjunction with the Commissioners of National Education, announced about four years ago that they intended to issue new plans for the construction of national schools; that they have since neglected to do so; that inconvenience and delay is caused to managers proposing to build schools by the absence of any standard plan or plans, except those which were declared obsolete; whether the correspondence which was proceeding in November last between the Treasury, the Irish Government, and the Commissioners of National Education, on matters relating to school building grants, is still proceeding; and whether, seeing that a number of managers proposing to replace schools which have been condemned as unsanitary by new schools are, in effect, being delayed for a full year in providing the new schools, he proposes to take any action in the matter.
§ MR. McKENNAThe delay in issuing general plans, which I regret, is not due to the neglect of the Board of Works or any Department, but to the difficulty of arriving at an agreement. Correspondence is still proceeding, but I will do everything I can towards expediting a settlement.
§ MR. O'SHEEWhen is the correspondence likely to end? It has been going on six months now.
§ MR. McKENNAI am doing my utmost to expedite it.