MR. O'CONNOR POWERasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, What course the Irish Executive intend to take in reference to the conduct of the Sub-Inspector of Police against whom a verdict of wilful murder was returned by a coroner's jury at Belmullet; and, whether it is a tact that the affray which took place there between the people and the police occurred while the latter were engaged in assisting the service of processes which were 635 served for the recovery of a rate illegally levied upon the occupiers of land?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, that this Question ought to have been put to the Attorney General for Ireland rather than to himself. He was informed by the Attorney General that he had obtained a provisional order quashing the coroner's inquisition, and that the police were at the time engaged in protecting process-servers. To the best of his belief, the processes were not for the recovery of a rate illegally imposed.
MR. O'CONNOR POWERobserved that the right hon. Gentleman had not quite answered the point of his Question, which was whether the Irish Executive, quite independently of the Law Officers of the Crown, intended to take any action in consequence of the verdict of the coroner's jury?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERsaid, that they must wait until the close of all legal proceedings before they could take any steps.