§ MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord- 88 Lieutenant of Ireland can he state what days are excluded in calculating the quarterly and yearly averages in primary schools in Ireland and England, respectively; whether it was the Commissioners of National Education or the Treasury made the recent rule in Ireland to the effect that only days in which the attendance is under one-third of the monthly average can be excluded in computing the quarterly and annual average attendances; and whether he would recommend that the old rule be enforced in future, namely, that days in which the attendances were under one-half, and not one-third, should be ex-eluded in calculating the quarterly and annual average attendances.
§ MR. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that in Irish National schools the rule on this subject is as stated in the Question. I understand that in England every meeting of a school is included for the purpose of calculating the average, but meetings may have occasionally to be abandoned when the attendance is very small owing to inclement weather. The rule was made by the Commissioners in communication with the Treasury, and has been in force for the past ten years. It is not a matter on which I can make any recommendation to the Commissioners.