HC Deb 05 July 1881 vol 263 cc19-20
LORD ARTHUR HILL

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether Head Constable Frazer has been removed from Ban- bridge, after having been stationed there about one month, in consequence of the Roman Catholic priest of the parish having demanded that a head constable of his own persuasion should be sent in his place; and, whether there would be any objection to lay upon the Table of the House a Copy of the Correspondence between the priest and the authorities?

MR. W. E. FORSTER,

in reply, said, the reason of the head constable's removal was this—Catholics and Protestants were about the same number in the district, and there appeared to have been some arrangement that if an officer was of one religion the head constable should be of the other. He could not say that he liked such an arrangement; but he disliked still more the condition of things that seemed to make it necessary. The Government, however, thought it was better that it should be practically put in force; and that was the reason why the head constable was removed. For his own convenience his removal was delayed for some months.

In reply to Mr. MACARTNEY,

MR. W. E. FORSTER

said, the removal was not occasioned by the interference of the Catholic priest; but it was a fact that the priest reminded the Government of the arrangement made seine time since.

MR. T. P. O'CONNOR

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, whether an equalization of the persuasions of magistrates would not still further get rid of the religious difficulty in Ireland?

MR. W. E. FORSTER

said, he should require Notice of the Question.