§ MR. DAWSONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether a letter from the Town Clerk of Limerick has been received by His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland offering to leave the matter of extra police tax in dispute to be inquired into at a public inquiry in Limerick by a Commissioner to be appointed by His Excellency; whether any answer has been given to the Town Clerk's letter; and, if not, would he state the grounds; whether the Constabulary Patrol Books had been always presented to the city magistrates for inspection up to the time of Mr. Clifford Lloyd's arrival in Limerick; whether that practice has since been discontinued notwithstanding the public protests of the magistrates at the police courts; and, if so, by whose orders; whether these Patrol Books afford the only evidence of the manner in which the extra police were employed either on duty in the city or elsewhere; and, whether the Corporation allege that the extra police were employed, not in preserving the peace of the city, but in performing escort duty for Mr. Clifford Lloyd?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANOn the 3rd of September, His Excellency had intimated to the Corporation of Limerick his readiness to receive a deputation, and, if possible, arrive at an amicable settlement of this question after a personal interview. This proposal having been, on the 19th of September, declined by the Corporation, it was intimated to them on the 22nd that the demand against them would, subject to certain modification in amount, be enforced by process of law, and the matter was put in the hands of the Law Officers. The letter of the 2nd of October, therefore, to which the hon. Member alludes, came too late; but, in any event, it would have been impossible that the proposal it contained for a public inquiry could be entertained. His Excellency regretted 1573 to find that, from some inadvertence, it was omitted to send a formal acknowledgment of the receipt of this letter; but I hope the hon. Member will believe that no discourtesy was intended towards the Corporation. It was a mere accident. With regard to the production of patrol books, the practice was discontinued as stated, because the patrols themselves were discontinued, the beat system having been substituted. In Limerick, therefore, as in Belfast and Londonderry, no patrol book is kept. I believe that the allegation in the last paragraph of the Question is a part of the case of the Corporation; but the Government are not prepared to admit the accuracy of that view.
§ MR. DAWSONasked the right hon. Gentleman if he was not aware that a deputation to the Lord Lieutenant was not the proper occasion to enter into a mass of facts and figures, and that the better way would be to ask a Commission to make investigation in Limerick?
§ [No reply.]