§ MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the proceedings of the Blackburn Board of Guardians on the 5th instant, in the course of which the question of advertising for a foster-mother of the Catholic religion was rejected, in spite of a favourable report to this effect from the Cottage Homes Committee; and whether, in view of the fact that forty-nine of the children in the cottage homes are Catholic, whilst only thirty-eight are Protestant, and that the result of adopting this recommendation would be that the Catholic and Protestant foster-mothers would be equal in number, he will cause an inquiry to be made, so that justice shall be done in this matter to the Catholics of Blackburn.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. JOHN BURNS,) BatterseaI have made inquiry on this subject, and understand that the post to be filled up is that of foster-mother in a home in which all the children are Protestants. It seems right, therefore, that she should be a Protestant also. It appears, however, that there are two homes in which both Roman Catholic and Protestant children are received. In both of these the foster-mother is a Protestant. It has been suggested that the foster-mother of one of these homes should be transferred to the post now vacant, and that she should be replaced by a Roman Catholic foster-mother. I have asked the Guardians to consider the matter further from this point of view.