§ Mr. WILLIAM REDMONDasked what is the amount set aside by the Commissioners of National Education for the payment of fees for the teaching of Irish in the national schools in their estimate for the year 1909–10?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that the payment for the teaching of Irish as an extra subject and in the bilingual schools for the year 1909–10 is estimated at £19,300.
§ Mr. WILLIAM REDMONDasked whether payment of fees for the teaching 1395W of Irish in national schools has been refused to extern teachers, although those teachers taught Irish for a number of hours far in excess of the minimum number required by the National Board and secured satisfactory reports from the inspectors; and, if so, what is the amount of the fees thus stopped from extern teachers?
§ Mr. BIRRELLPayment of fees for Irish has not been refused by the Commissioners of National Education in any case during the past school year where extra instruction was given in the subject for 40 or more hours, and where the other essential conditions set forth in the Board's rules were fulfilled. In a number of cases, however, where the prescribed number of hours of extra instruction was given, the fees cannot be paid because certain other necessary conditions such as teaching the subject throughout the school year, were not complied with. The amount of fees for Irish so withheld, where not less than 40 hours extra instruction was given by extern teachers, is about £300.
§ Mr. WILLIAM REDMONDasked what is the amount paid by the Commissioners of National Education in fees for the teaching of Irish in bilingual schools and in other schools in which it was taught as an extra subject?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe payment of fees for Irish for the current financial year has not yet been completed. The sum paid by the Commissioners of National Education during the calendar year 1908 as fees for instruction given to national school pupils in Irish as an extra subject and in bilingual schools was £10,334.
§ Mr. WILLIAM REDMONDasked the number of candidates who passed the examinations in the preparatory and junior grades respectively of the intermediate examinations in 1908; and how many of these candidates passed in Irish in each grade?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe total number of students who passed the intermediate examination, 1908, in the preparatory grade was 1,972, and the total number who passed in the junior grade was 3,124. The number of those who passed in Irish in these grades was 1,314 and 2,321 respectively.