§ 12. Major O'NEILLasked the Chief Secretary if he can say what will be the sum of money contributable from Imperial funds to education in Ireland in the financial year 1920–21, assuming that the Education (Ireland) Bill passes into law in its 1596 present form and that the Imperial Grant for education in Great Britain in 1920–21 is the same as the amount estimated or payable in respect of the financial year now current; and, acting on the above assumption, can he say by how much the Irish Grant for 1920–21 will exceed the amount estimated or payable in the current year?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONOn the hon. and gallant Member's hypothesis, and excluding cost of administration and of other services referred to in the Bill, it is estimated that the equivalent Grant for Education in Ireland for the financial year 1920–21 would amount to £3,533,542. Making the necessary adjustments, this grant will exceed the estimated amount payable in respect of the corresponding services under present conditions for the current year by £301,910.
§ 14. Mr. MOLESasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Irish Education Bill is to be submitted for Second Reading before the Recess; whether its financial provisions will be based upon the recommendations of the recent Killanin Report; whether he is aware that the Killanin Report recommendations are practically identical with the Craik financial proposals in the Scottish Education Bill, and that the Craik scale of salaries has now had to be amended; whether, in view of this, he will see that the new salaries scale of the Irish Bill will be based upon the revised Scottish proposals; and whether, in the event of the Irish Bill becoming law early in 1920, the increases will be proposed to be retrospective as from 1st January, 1920?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONWith regard to the first part of the question, I am not in a position to make any definite statement, but I believe the Leader of the House will make a statement at the end of Questions to-day. The financial provisions of the Bill itself follow generally the line of the Scottish Education Act of 1918. As regards the question of National School teachers' salaries it is hoped that, under the Bill, funds will be available to enable a scale of salaries to be introduced which will be considerably better than that recommended by the Killanin Committee, and which will compare not unfavourably with the revised Scottish scale. It is also hoped that under the provisions of the Bill to make the new scale of salaries operative as from the 1st April, 1919.
§ Captain REDMONDArising out of the first portion of the question, may I ask how he proposes to reconcile the policy of introducing a Bill to co-ordinate and centralise education in Ireland, and at the same time, and almost in the same breath, introducing a Bill to divide the country into two parts?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONThat is a question of policy, which my hon. Friend will, of course, put to the Leader of the House or the Prime Minister.
§ Captain REDMONDHas the right hon. Gentleman nothing to do with the Irish policy of the Government?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONA great deal.
§ Captain REDMONDThen why cannot he answer?