§ Mr. HUGH BARRIEasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is aware that in the new regulations for technical schools, issued on 6th September last, an alteration has been made in last year's programme by which in future no grants are to be paid for any students who are also students of the National Education Board, and that at the time this change was made all technical committees in Ireland had already drawn up their programmes for this session's work, and almost without exception had had them approved by the Department; whether he has received 2260W resolutions of protest from the technical committees of Tyrone, Newry, and Ballymena; whether he has been advised that similar protests will shortly be passed by almost all the technical commitees in Ireland; and whether, in these circumstances, he will arrange that the new stipulation be either cancelled or suspended for the current session?
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLThe facts are generally as stated, except that the Department have not been advised that protests against the Regulations will shortly be passed by almost all the technical committees in Ireland. The Department are of opinion that it is not desirable, as a general rule, that pupils should take up courses of instruction at a technical school while still in attendance at a primary school, and they are not aware that the stipulation will affect any schools adversely. They are not prepared to cancel the Regulation, but they will be ready to give special consideration to the case of any school in which it can be shown that hardship has resulted from its application.