§ Mr. HUGH LAWasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether national school teachers promoted to first-of-first grade between 1st April, 1917, and 1st December, 1917, are to be recouped the temporary financial loss consequent upon promotion or only those so promoted after 1st December, 1917?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that under the arrangement sanctioned by the Treasury in August last, teachers in first division of first grade are entitled to be paid in each case—without regard to the date from which promotion to that Grade was sanctioned—such an amount of war bonus as may be necessary to secure that the emoluments from Grade salary and bonus combined shall not be less than the emoluments under these heads received by the teachers in question when recognised in second division of first grade. Arrears are payable under this arrangement for service given on and after 1st December, 1917, the date from which the system of fixing the amount of the war bonus Grant according to the grade in which the teacher was serving was brought into operation.
§ Mr. LAWasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland to what extent Rule 121 of the Code of the Commissioners of National Education affects the award of increments and promotion to teachers of bilingual schools?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that in accordance with the terms of the last sentence of the Rule, a somewhat lower standard of efficiency is accepted by the Commissioners when making awards of increment or promotion to teachers of bilingual national schools and due regard is had to the special difficulty of teaching under such conditions.
§ Mr. KINGasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that a section of Irish national teachers, who are not married to teachers, and who have to support large families on a salary which amounts to only 7d. or 8d. per head per day of their families, have asked for a war bonus for each child in their families similar to that granted to children of the Irish police force; and whether it is proposed by the Government to concede the request?
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§ Mr. SHORTTThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, the question of the rates of war bonus to national school teachers was recently under the consideration of the Conciliation and Arbitration Board. The decision of this Board has been received and steps will be taken to pay arrears accruing to the teachers under the new rates as soon as possible. No special provision is made for the class of teachers referred to in this question.