§ Mr. KERR-SMILEYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if, in spite of the Maynooth resolutions, all the Roman Catholic female teachers in Ballycastle, county Antrim, have been dismissed to make way for nuns; if the Roman Catholic ordinary intervened to protect the dismissed teachers; as the Maynooth resolutions have proved to be impotent as an instrument of protection, do the Commissioners propose to devise an adequate scheme for securing the tenure of all teachers during good conduct and efficient service; and are the nuns who supersede the dismissed Roman Catholic schoolmistresses graded and trained teachers or are they an order of teaching nuns who are paid by the State without possessing any certificate of competence?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that the only two national schools under Roman Catholic management in Ballycastle are the Ballycastle Girls' School, and the Ballycastle Infants' School, and the manager proposes to put both these schools in charge of nuns from this date. The principal of the girls' school has been appointed principal of another school, but the junior assistant mistress does not appear to have been provided for elsewhere. The principal of the infants' school was offered another appointment which she refused. It would appear from a communication from the manager that the proposed change in regard to placing the schools in the charge of nuns has the approval of the Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese. The Commissioners have no general scheme under consideration such as that suggested in the question,1886W nor have they any information at present as regards the last paragraph of the question.
§ Mr. KERR-SMILEYasked the Chief Secretary the names of the Roman Catholic female and infant national schools in the county of Antrim which are now in charge of nuns, and from which graded national teachers were dismissed to make way for the nuns, distinguishing those which are under graded and trained nuns from those under the charge of nuns who possess no certificates of competency will he state the number of Roman Catholic lay schoolmistresses who were dismissed to make way for nuns, the number of lay assistants employed in these schools and their net salaries, excluding therefrom the sums of money which are deducted from the lay assistants' gross salaries by the nuns on the ground of vacations and other causes; and will he further state the names of the nun-taught schools in the county of Antrim where the lay assistants are obliged to do the whole or part of the menial work of the nunnery and school?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that the only schools in the county of Antrim which are now in charge of nuns are St. Mary's Convent National School, Larne, and Lisburn Convent National School. There were three lay teachers in the former school and one in the latter, all of whom received appointments in other national schools. Both these schools are paid by capitation Grants, and the teachers are not, therefore, required to possess the qualifications laid down in the Commissioners' Rules. The nuns of St. Mary's Convent have, however, procured certificates from the English Education Department. There are no lay assistant teachers employed in these schools, and the Commissioners are not aware that there are any schools of the kind referred to in the last paragraph of the question.