§ COLONEL O'BEIRNEasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If the present state of the Law enables Mrs. Lawder, of Lawderdale, parish of Fenagh, county Leitrim, to obtain compensation for the herd of cattle, value £168, lifted off her farm on the night of the 6th instant; and, if not, whether the Government contemplate any alteration in the present Law, in order to compensate owners of cattle for their losses; whether the Government intend taking any immediate steps to check the growing practice of cattle stealing; and, if he will lay upon the Table of the House a Return of the number of head of cattle stolen within the last twelve months, specifying the counties in each case, and the number that have been recovered through the aid of the Police, or otherwise?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, the present state of the law does not enable the owner of cattle or any other goods which have been stolen to obtain compensation from any person except the robber. The Inspector General of Constabulary informs me that the official Returns do not show an increase in the number of cases of cattle stealing. The number of cases reported in the six months ended the 30th of June, 1881, was 83. The number reported in the six months ended the 30th of June, 1882, was 72. It would be impossible to give an accurate Return of stolen cattle recovered in the past 12 months through the aid of the Constabulary without reference to the various districts; but I have desired a Return to be made out and sent over by tonight's post, which I can let the hon. and gallant Member have to-morrow, showing the number of cases of cattle steal- 1095 ing reported from each county in each of the last 12 months.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORasked that the Return might be supplemented by a similar Return from the counties of England?