§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, if he will state the number of meetings of the National Education Board that were held during the twelve months of the financial year, commencing on the 1st April, 1906, and ending on the 31st March, 1907; the number of these meetings attended by each of the Commissioners who happened to be a member of the Board during the whole of the twelve months in question; and the amount paid in the way of travel-
| Name of Commissioner. | Travelling Expenses. | Personal Allowance. | Total. | ||||||
| £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | |
| Sir H. Bellingham, Bart., D.L. | 17 | 16 | 8 | — | 17 | 16 | 8 | ||
| Rev. H. Evans, D.D. | 15 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 23 | 10 | 3 |
| Right Hon. Sir R. Blenerhassett, Bart., D.L. | 61 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 87 | 9 | 0 |
| Rev. H. B. Wilson, D.D. | 28 | 10 | 8 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 55 | 16 | 8 |
| Sir Stanley Harrington, J.P. | 4 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 12 | 0 |
| Right Rev. Mervyn Archdall, D.D., Bishop of Killaloe | 47 | 16 | 3 | 52 | 10 | 0 | 100 | 6 | 3 |
| A. Traill, Esq., LL.D., M.D., D.L., Provost of Trinity College | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 4 |
| Rev. D. Taylor, D.D. | 14 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 6 |
| Right Hon. Lord Killanin | 46 | 3 | 9 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 77 | 13 | 9 |
| Major Gerald Dease, D.L. | 19 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 32 | 14 | 0 |
| R. Bagwell, Esq., D.L. | 39 | 14 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 59 | 13 | 3 |
| 301 | 8 | 8 | 217 | 0 | 0 | 518 | 8 | 8 |
§ ling expenses, and personal expenses respectively to each such member.
§ (Answered by Mr. Birrell). The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the number of meetings of the Board during the financial year mentioned was twenty-eight, exclusive of meetings of committees of the Board. The Commissioners inform me that they see grave objections to furnishing information as to the attendances of individual members of the Board. They gave such information on a former occasion, and it was then used to criticise and reflect on the action of individual Commissioners, and thus interfere with their personal independence as members of the Board. The Commissioners believe such interference to be detrimental to the public interest. The following payments were made for travelling expenses and personal allowance in respect of the financial year 1906–7. No payment in respect of attendance was made to the remaining Commissioners:—