To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state how many national teachers in Ireland are to be disallowed promotion for the triennial period ended 31st March, 1907, to second-of-first grade and first-of-first, respectively, through the adverse report of a new inspector on his first visit to a school in cases where the two preceding reports were up to the required standard; will the National Board allow an impartial and unprejudiced investigation into all such cases in which the managers alleged at the time that the minutes of such new inspectors were unjust and unwarrantable and requested a reinspection and in cases in which such reinspection was refused; has the National Board yet seen the advisability and justice of complying with the requests made frequently by the Central Executive Committee of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and the various associations of national teachers throughout Ireland for the past two years that no teacher be disallowed promotion on account of the adverse minute of any inspector on his first visit to a school when the two preceding reports had been of a character to justify such promotion.

In reply to the first part of the Question, I refer to my Answer to the hon. Member for South Belfast on 12th instant. The Commissioners inform me that all cases are carefully investigated in which a manager alleges that an inspector's report is unfair. The Commissioners are unable to give an assurance of the general nature suggested in the concluding part of the Question.