§ 60. Mr. GINNELLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Irish advice he has obtained, besides that of officials de pendent for their salaries on the British Treasury, for the reductions made in the Estimates for public purposes in Ireland compared with those for the corresponding purposes in England; especially if any independent Irish opinion supports the proposed further reduction of £175,066 in the Irish Education Estimate while only a reduction of £27,032 is made in the corresponding Estimate for England; whether the officials in Ireland have offered to accept reduced salaries rather than see the service crippled; whether they have tendered their resignation if the proposed reductions were enforced; and, if they 1551 have done neither of these things, whether he will obtain competent and independent Irish opinion before enforcing the proposed reductions?
§ Mr. DUKEThe Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply to this question. The hon. Member's suggestion is not well founded. The Estimates for Public Education show an increase of £5,314 in Ireland over the net estimates for the previous year as compared with a decrease of £26,952 in England and Wales. A Supplementary Estimate of £178,880 was taken last autumn for the purpose of paying the Irish national school teachers monthly instead of quarterly. This expenditure is, of course, non-recurrent. The hon. Member appears to have treated it in his question as part of the current expenditure on Irish education.