HC Deb 20 November 1882 vol 274 c1714
MR. TOTTENHAM

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a letter in the "Morning Post" of the 15th instant, signed by Captain Wynne, one of the dismissed resident magistrates; whether it is the case, as therein stated, that, on his being compulsorily retired on pension, he would lose £400 a-year, and all chance of future promotion, and has had a slur cast upon his character, without a chance of meeting his accusers (if any) face to face; and, whether there are other cases of a similar nature as stated by Captain Wynne?

MR. TREVELYAN

Sir, I have seen the letter referred to. The facts of the case are simply these—In reorganization of offices an opportunity is afforded of reviewing the capabilities of the persons employed, and of pensioning those whose services can with advantage to the public service be dispensed with. His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, at a great crisis in the affairs of Ireland—and after the services of the Resident Magistrates had for a long while gone on without any check—acted on his responsibility in selecting gentlemen for retirement on the recent reorganization of the magistracy. I think he had good reason for it; and I do not think in this case, or in any other case when reorganization of offices takes place, that it is in the interest of the gentlemen themselves, or for the advantage of the public service that a Minister should be asked to state in Parliament the special reasons why the Government felt called upon to select some officer for retirement.

MR. TOTTENHAM

Do I understand that the Government cast any slur on the character of this gentleman by his enforced retirement?

MR. TREVELYAN

That is a very difficult inquiry to answer. Unquestionably no slur is intended to be conveyed by this enforced retirement. At the same time, Captain Wynne was retired because His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant was of opinion that the extremely important position of a Resident Magistrate in Ireland was one which, on the whole, he was not capable of filling with advantage to the public service.