HC Deb 20 June 1882 vol 270 cc1751-2
MR. HEALY

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is the fact that, in consequence of the extra duty thrown upon prison warders by the Protection of Person and Property (Ireland) Act, trustworthy men had to be drafted from the different prisons where they were permanently settled to the places where the political prisoners were confined; whether these warders were in many instances separated from their families; whether the sum granted to them for lodging, fuel, and light (if married) when so transferred was only ten shillings per month; whether the Government are aware that these men were frequently obliged to spend fully three times this amount for lodging, &c.; whether in Dublin their hours of duty were such that they have had to remain on twenty-six and a half hours out of thirty-six; whether similar excessive duty had to be performed in other gaols where suspects were confined; whether the extra warders employed by the Government were old police pensioners, many of whom were past work before leaving the police force, and were entirely ignorant of prison discipline; whether, therefore, duties of much greater weight and responsibility devolved upon the regular warders than before; whether the police who are getting an extra grant were also relieved by auxiliaries from the Army and Army Reserve; and, whether, taking all the circumstances of the case of the prison warders into consideration, the Government can see their way to make an allowance for their increased duty and responsibility during the past eighteen months?

MR. TREVELYAN

The hon. Member asks me 10 Questions, the answers to which would take up a considerable time, and I trust he will be satisfied when I tell him that as soon as all the persons detained under the Protection of Person and Property (Ireland) Act have been released, it will be the duty of the Prisons Board to submit the names of certain prison officers to Government for some reward for extra duties. As, however, this is a matter which cannot be arranged without the consent of the Treasury, and as the case is not yet in a position to be submitted to their Lord- ships, I wish to avoid raising hopes that may not afterwards be capable of fulfilment.

MR. HEALY

Will the right hon. Gentleman state that in proportion to their number and the work they have done they shall receive rewards comparatively as great as those granted to the police?

MR. TREYELYAN

The answer to that cannot, of course, be made by any Department without the consent of the Treasury.