§ Major O'NEILLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many principals of Irish national schools are provided at the expense of the State with free residences or Grants in lieu of residences; how many are provided with residences that are free by reason of the building loans having been paid off bythe Commissioners of National Education and the teachers; how many are provided with free residences whose local moieties were not borne by the teachers; how many are residing in residences whose local moieties are being paid by themselves; how many are occupying residences whose local moieties are not being paid by themselves; and how many principal teachers arestill unprovided with residences?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONThe Commissioners of National Education inform me that except in the case of the model schools,residences for the teachers of Irish national schools are not provided entirely from State sources, nor are Grants from the State made to teachers in lieu of the provision of residences. In connection with about 1,340 national schools 2257W residences for the principal teachers have been provided, with the assistance of the State, either in the form of Grants in Aid (about 80 in number) or as loans to build (numbering about 1,260). In case of the latter one-half of the rent-charge in repayment of the loan is provided from the Imperial Exchequer, and the other half is defrayed from local sources. Though the Commissioners are aware that in many cases the local moiety of the rent-charge is defrayed by the teacher in occupation of the residence, they have no precise statistics available as to the total number of such cases. The loans have been paid off in connection with about 160 residences. Including houses which were entirely provided from local sources, there are residences available for the principal teachers of about 2,300 ordinary national schools, and about one-half of such residences are free of rent to the teachers. There are some 5,200 ordinary national schools not yet provided with teachers' residences.