Captain CRAIGasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he was aware that on 9th November, 1907, the Board of National Education called on their inspectors to furnish a specially confidential reply to a specially confidential query as to premiums paid by teachers to managers for appointments in national schools, and that on no previous occasion had equal precautions been taken by the Board for the protection of their inspectors from disclosure and intimidation; that on 20th November a chief inspector attempted by the surprise and menace of certain questions to induce a senior inspector to divulge, in the presence of two other persons, the contents of his reply, and that the inspector on 23rd November reported this attempt to the head of the department; that shortly afterwards the chief inspector divulged and commented on to several persons what purported to be the contents of the reply, and also admittedly, without any justification, withheld the inspector's next increment of salary and secured his premature removal to a distant centre; and whether the Board will take effective measures to protect inspectors in future from official intimidation in the discharge of their duty?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education issued a confidential circular to their inspectors on 9th November, 1907, but it was not of a specially confidential character, nor were any unusual precautions taken with regard to it. The Commissioners inform me as the result of inquiries made from the chief inspectors that there appears to be no foundation for the other allegations contained in the question.