§ Mr. HACKETTasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Commissioners of National Education have withheld the salary of Michael O'Grady, teacher of Templenoe National School, Cashel, county Tipperary, on the grounds that his wife is owner of a public-house contrary to Rule 88a; whether he is aware that the public-house in question was purchased by Mr. O'Grady's mother-in-law, who sold out a business house in Thurles in order to pur- 1490W chase the house in Cashel for her daughter, and that Rule 88a came into force seven years after, namely, in 1907; and whether, seeing that the Commissioners have stated that their new rule, meaning the rule made in 1907, has not really had any retrospective effect, and that Mr. O'Grady is now living in a private residence apart from the public-house, and is in no way connected with the business carried on by his wife, he will make representations to the Commissioners with a view to having Mr. O'Grady restored to his former status and permit him to continue to remain in charge of his school?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education, to whom I have referred this question, inform me that the facts are as stated in the first two paragraphs of the question, but that it is not correct to say that Rule 88a only came into force in 1907. It had been the practice for many years previously to enforce its provisions, and the addition made to the Rule in 1907 was for the purpose of bringing it into conformity with the practice of the Commissioners. I cannot undertake to make any representations to the Commissioners with regard to the case.