Captain CRAIGasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether a second-class teacher, principal of a school with an average of thirty, could, under the results' 592 system, earn a salary of about £85 per year; whether those Queen's scholars who entered training in the year 1898 got prior to their entrance to a training college any notice to the effect that their initial salary would be £56 per year; whether those who had promises of schools got any special consideration; whether it was the Treasury or the Commissioners of National Education that fixed the salary of some of the transition teachers at £56; whether, in case a claim was made on behalf of any of those aggrieved teachers the Commissioners would favourably consider it; whether the Commissioners will readjust the salary of any teacher who is suffering financially through the operation of the new rules; and whether he will explain under what authority the Commissioners of National Education pay teachers who obtained second-class under the results' system at the rate of £56 per annum?
§ Mr. BIRRELLSo many considerations affected the question of payments to national school teachers prior to 1900 that it would be misleading to make any statement in reply to a hypothetical question such as that contained in the first paragraph. The initial salaries of the teachers under the system introduced in 1900 by the Commissioners of National Education with the authority of the Irish Government and the Treasury represent only a portion of their total income, and it is manifestly unfair to contrast initial salaries with the total incomes of teachers under the old system. The cases of all teachers in the service prior to 1900 received special consideration when these teachers were being brought under the new Regulations. The Commissioners have repeatedly stated that they will consider any case in which it can be shown that a teacher has suffered hardship by the operation of the new rules.