§ Mr. THOMAS O'DONNELLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that the money available for intermediate education in Ireland, all of which is purely Irish money, is most inadequate, and will be still further reduced for the coming year, he will consider the necessity of giving a grant in the forthcoming Estimates in order to enable secondary schools in Ireland to carry on this most important branch of education?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to answer this question. The income of the Intermediate Education Board for Ireland is not provided by Vote of Parliament, it is made up of the interest on a sum of £1,000,000 derived from the Irish Church Temporalities Fund and of the residue of the Irish share of the Customs and Excise Duties after certain statutory charges have been paid. The latter portion of the Board's income has no doubt decreased owing to the falling off in those duties. I will confer with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the possibility of providing a grant from the Votes of Parliament, but I am afraid it is too late to do anything in connection with the Estimates for the coming year.