§ 8 and 9. Mr. O'DONNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland (1) whether he is aware that managers of secondary 1408 schools in Ireland are at present making arrangements for staffing their schools for the coming year, and are unable to do so satisfactorily except they know that the promised Grant of £40,000 will be available, and that owing to this delay a much smaller number of teachers will be employed and possibly some discontinued; and, if so, will he make the Grant available for such schools as comply with the conditions; and (2) whether, seeing that in the correspondence just published regarding the promised Grant of £40,000, the secretary of the Catholic head masters refuses to agree to the main essential condition of the Grant, and he and his body have persisted in their refusal for nearly twelve months, thus losing to Ireland for last year the sum of £40,000, steps will be taken at once to make the Grant available to all schools that comply with the conditions?
§ 20. Mr. HUGH BARRIEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether a Grant of £40,000 per annum in supplement of the salaries of secondary school teachers in Ireland was promised last year, and to be included in this year's Estimates; whether the Roman Catholic Head Masters' Association declined to accept the conditions attached to the Grant, and for that reason it has not been included in the Estimates; and whether, seeing that the assistants in all other secondary schools, over 100 in number, are thus penalised, he will say what steps he now proposes to take in fulfilment of the Government promise?
§ Mr. BIRRELLNo promise was made that the Grant would be included in this year's Estimates, nor, having regard to the date of the first publication of the draft scheme, was it ever probable that it could be made to apply to the school year which has just closed. The whole matter is receiving my careful consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make a definite statement on the subject.
§ Mr. O'DONNELLIs it not a serious inconvenience to managers of schools in providing teachers for the coming year not to know soon whether or not this money will be available?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI quite agree. I hope they will know soon. I am not responsible for the difficulty.
§ Mr. O'DONNELLSeeing that these negotiations have been going on for nearly twelve months without practically 1409 any result, has he any hopes of success beyond the replies which he has already given?
§ Mr. BIRRELLBeing of a sanguine disposition and having £40,000 behind me, I still have some hope.