§ Mr. C. CRAIG (for Mr. Moore)asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland intimated in 1908 that monitors in their last year in 1911 must take a language in addition to English; that some schools elected to take French or German and others the Irish language; and that the former course was adopted in Porta-down, where the managers, teachers, parents, and children object to learning Irish in preference to French or German; 726 if he will say if the Commissioners make payments to the teachers in Roman Catholic schools for teaching Irish, but decline to do so in Protestant schools for teaching French or German; and, if so, if he will take steps to place the teaching of these languages on an equal footing?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that in their code issued in 1908 they inserted in connection with the King's Scholarship programme a notice that in the year 1911, and subsequently, candidates for admission to training colleges would be required to undergo examination in one language in addition to English. Payments are made for instruction in Irish as an extra subject in ordinary National Schools without distinction, and as part of the general curriculum in bilingual schools. There are no funds available for making payments for French or German. Information was recently received that a French class is held in one of the Porta-down National Schools.