§ MR. SHEILasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether the Chairmen of Counties and Officers of the Constabulary have received back pay from the date of a Report of the Commissioners recommending the increase of salary which they have lately obtained; whether he will consent to introduce a Clause into the "Magistrates (Ireland) Bill" authorizing the payment to the magistrates of back pay from the date of the late Report of the Commissioners recommending an increase of the salary of resident magistrates; whether the house allowance will be made to resident magistrates; and, whether such allowance was not granted to them until the year 1836?
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, in reply, said, it was true that the chairmen of counties in Ireland had received back pay as set forth in the Question of the hon. Member, for the reason that increased duties were placed upon them by the Land Act of 1870. The amount of increased allowances to which the chairmen were entitled for such additional duty was not fixed by the Treasury until 1873; but, of course, they had been paid from the date at which the increased duty commenced. The increased rate of pay to be granted to the officers of the Constabulary was agreed to by the Treasury for special reasons, at a date anterior to the passing of the Constabulary Act of last Session. It was not his intention to introduce into the Magistrates (Ireland) Bill a clause such as was contemplated by the second part of the hon. Gentleman's Question. His reasons for that determination he had already explained. House allowances were made to resident magistrates in Ireland before 1836; but since that time the position of the magistrates in regard to salary and other matters had been so much improved, and would be so much further improved by the Bill now before Parliament, that it was not thought right to restore to them house allowances which were made under totally different circumstances.