§ MAJOR O'GORMANasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether the statement relating to the Royal Irish Constabulary which appeared in the "Limerick Reporter" of the 13th March last is correct; and, if so, whether Her Majesty's Government approves of the system of occupying by drill and catechising the attention of the officers and men of that force when assembled for the discharge of their duties of detecting crime and prosecuting offenders; and, whether there is any objection to furnish the name of the officer referred to as "Inspector General?"
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, in reply, said, that the statement was not accurate, and would lead to still more inaccurate inferences. In March last the Deputy Inspector, under orders of the Inspector General, inspected the County Constabulary of Limerick, and on the last day of the inspection he found 100 men employed at the Assizes which were being held in the City of Limerick, whom he had not seen during his tour through the county. He therefore directed that they should be assembled for one hour's drill for the purpose 72 of inspection, but at such a time as not to interfere with the special duty on which they were engaged. When men were assembled in this way in a county town in considerable numbers, advantage was often taken of a spare hour for the purpose of drill; the object was to avoid the expense which would be incurred if the men were brought together from distant stations specially for this purpose.