§ MR. MURPHY (Kerry, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, seeing that Irish national teachers are permitted to carry on business as postmasters, shopkeepers, farmers, insurance agents, etc., if he will state why an exception has been made in the case of the teacher of school 5735, and why he has been prevented from acting as income tax collector in his district, which would not interfere with his duties as teacher; and whether, seeing that this teacher was deprived of £30 a year salary owing to the operation of the Rules of 1900, he will recommend the Board to withdraw their objection to his supplementing his income by evening work which will not interfere with his ordinary daily duties as teacher.
§ (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) Under the Commissioners' rules, Irish national teachers are not permitted to engage in any occupation that would impair their usefulness as teachers; and the Commissioners, after careful consideration of the duties of a collector of income tax, decided that the holding of such a position by a teacher would impair his efficiency. The due discharge of the duties of a collector of income tax would be liable to bring him into conflict with, and might even require him to prosecute, parents of school children, with whom, as a condition of his usefulness as school teacher, he is expected to avoid occasions of discord.