§ Mr. THOMAS O'DONNELLasked the Chief Secretary whether he will state the 825W amount available for secondary education in Ireland in each of the past ten years, the amount of this given to the schools, the amount for prizes to students, and the cost of inspection and examination in each of those years?
§ Mr. BIRRELL, in reply, submitted the following statement, showing the amount available for secondary education in Ireland in each of the past ten years, and administered by—(1) The Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, and (2) the Department of Agriculture and technical Instruction for Ireland:—
1.—Intermediate Education Board for Ireland. Year. Income of Board. Payments to Schools. Rewards to Students. Cost of Examinations. Cost of Inspection £ £ £ £ £ 1900 105,314 56,263 19,313 12,406 — 1901 99,010 56,922 20,406 13,181 1,008 1902 111,443 57,475 13,329 11,806 2,126 1903 111,409 57,482 11,462 11,022 1,373 1904 91,211 59,293 8,925 11,434 — 1905 88,914 53,463 10,492 14,078 — 1906 83,763 53,301 10,037 15,662 — 1907 80,836 53,214 7,944 17,238 — 1908 86,479 53,204 9,127 16,589 — 1909 84,733 52,800 7,766 16,495 2,996 2.—Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland.—The amount available for secondary education, so far as the Department is concerned, is the sum actually earned by the schools as attendance grants under the conditions of the Department's programme for such schools, which provides grants for instruction in experimental science, drawing, manual instruction in wood and metal, and domestic economy. The grants paid for the past ten academic years are:—Academic year ending 31st July, 1901, £2,500 (approximately, see note); 1902, £9,575; 1903, £12,808; 1904, £16,144; 1905, £19,417; 1906, £21,991; 1907, £25,151; 1908, £26,718; 1909, £27,650 (estimated); 1910, £28,500 (estimated). Prizes for students are not granted by the Department in connection with their work in day secondary schools, nor do they hold examinations in connection therewith. The inspectors of the Department are appointed for the purposes of technical instruction generally. The total annual cost of inspection for technical instruction is at present about £9,500. It is not possible to give accurately the cost of the inspection of day secondary schools, but an approximate 826W estimate would be from one-fourth to one-third of the total cost of inspection.
NOTE.—Previous to the Session 1901–2 grants were claimable for instruction in Science and Art only. It is not practicable to state exactly how much of the £5.185 grants paid in respect of the Academic Year 1900–1, were made upon account of students in attendance at day secondary schools.