§ CAPTAIN CRAIG (Down, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the number of national schools in Ireland from which the public grant has been withdrawn or threatened to be withdrawn in each of the years 1906, 1907, and 1908, under Protestant and Roman Catholic management, respectively.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the national schools from which grants were withdrawn in the years 1906, 1907, and 1908 were as follows—
Of the schools under Protestant management six became inoperative, four were closed voluntarily by the managers, two were closed without objection, and one was closed by the local authority, who required the site for other purposes. Of the schools under Roman Catholic management three became inoperative, two were closed voluntarily by the managers, and two without objection of the managers. The Commissioners add that it would be impossible, without a long and careful examination of the Board's correspondence for the three years in question, to say in how many cases the withdrawal of the grants was threatened.
1906. 1907. 1908. Under Protestant management 30 17 15 Under Roman Catholic management 17 8 9