§ Mr. MAURICE HEALYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, under the proposed new scheme of salaries for national teachers, lay teachers in convent and monastery national schools paid by capitation Grant will, as regards salary, increments, promotion, and pension rights, be treated on the same footing as assistants in ordinary national schools; and, if so, whether their years of service in the first-mentioned schools will count for the purpose of increments, bonus, etc., under the new scheme?
§ Mr. DUKEAs to the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer to his question on the 9th August last. Service given by recognised lay assistant teachers in convent schools paid by capitation will count towards increment and diploma, as at present.
§ Mr. HEALYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received representations as to the disappointment caused amongst a large number of principal teachers in Ireland by the construction now proposed to be placed on the expres- 2049W sion large school for the purpose of the new scale of salaries; whether, in the special programme of the National Commissioners, schools entitled to three teachers and upwards are classified as large schools; whether, for the purpose of salaries, it is now proposed to exclude from that category all schools having an average attendance of less than 140, though such schools are entitled not to three but to four teachers; whether the effect of this will be to exclude from the benefit of the proposed supplemental salary practically all schools outside Dublin and Belfast and thus deprive of the supplemental salary about 220 teachers of schools in all parts of Ireland within the category of what the Commissioners consider large schools; and whether, in view of the definition of large schools as schools of three teachers and where the reference to 140 pupils must therefore be taken to mean pupils on the rolls as distinguished from those in average attendance, he will extend the supplementary salary to the principal teachers of all such schools?
§ Mr. DUKEI am informed that representations have been received by the Commissioners of National Education on this subject. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer to his previous question on the 2nd August last as to the proposals with regard to grants of supplemental salary under the new scheme. Excluding convent and monastery schools paid by capitation there are about 350 national schools in Ireland, having an average attendance of 140 or over. About 220 of these schools are in Belfast and Dublin. There is no precise definition of a "large" school in the Rules of the Commissioners, and the supplemental salary was definitely intended for schools with an average attendance of 140 and above.