§ Mr. JOHN MURPHYasked the Chief Secretary whether he can say how long the senior inspector had charge of the circuit in which the Currie (No. 2) girls' school, Belfast, roll number 12,214, is included, and how often he visited this school without reporting the violation of the Board's rules in having his brother the manager, his sister teacher, and himself inspector of the school; is he aware that when attention was called to this breach of rules the only changes made were to accept a nominee of the erring manager and to put a junior inspector in charge of the school, over whom the senior inspector has authority; can he explain why this senior inspector was remiss in the discharge of his duty, and can he state what punishment would be meted out to a teacher who had a relative for manager
§ Mr. CHERRYThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that Mr. Dewar, the senior inspector, has been in charge of the circuit in which Currie No. 2 National School is included since 1st April,1470W 1906. He visited the school once between that date and the date on which his brother resigned the managership, namely, the 14th January, 1907. The new manager was in accordance with the Commissioners' rules, nominated by the outgoing manager. Mr. Dewar was the senior inspector in general charge, and Mr. O'Connell the district inspector in charge of the circuit in question. No change was made in this arrangement. Mr. Dewar was called on for an explanation of his omission to report the breach in this case of the rule that no near relative of the manager is to be a member of the school staff. He stated that his predecessor had reported the irregularity in 1898, but no official action appears to have been taken in regard to it. The Commissioners insist on the observance of the above rule as a condition of aid to a school.