§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is the fact that the attendance of both the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of the Dublin Police at their offices is very irregular; whether the office is sometimes left empty for hours and sometimes not visited at ail in the course of the day; and, whether applicants for licences for arms and other matters are not thus seriously inconvenienced?
§ MR. TREVELYANDuring the past five years the Chief Commissioner of Metroplitan Police has not been absent on any day from his office with the exception of a few weeks' leave. He is seldom able to leave it before six o'clock in the evening—often later. Many times he has been on duty day and night. During the last three years especially he has found it very difficult to avail himself of leave, and during his occasional absence he has no reason to believe that there was any irregularity in the attendance of the Assistant Commissioner. With regard to alleged inconveniences to applicants for arms licences, I beg to say that all applications for such licences must be made in writing, and some delay must arise through the necessity of making inquiries with regard to the character of the applicant. Recent deplorable occurrences in Dublin show the 202 absolute necessity for the exercise of the greatest caution in this respect. Personally, when I have forwarded applications from individuals whose character and position did not require examination I have found the request for the licence responded to at once. The other day I got a letter from a friend of the hon. Member thanking me for so promptly procuring him a licence for introducing three scimitars for the illustrating a lecture on the East. I may add that the Chief Commissioner assures me that it is not the case that his office is left empty for hours, and sometimes not visited at all by him and the Assistant Commissioner in the course of the day.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORstated that he did not complain of the authorities exercising due precaution in the granting of licences; but he complained of the Commissioner not being in his place. He wished to thank the right hon. Gentleman for the readiness with which his friend, Mr. O'Donovan, obtained a licence for arms.