§ MR. PARNELLasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he has received and considered the Report of the Law and Finance Committee of the Cork Corporation, made as a consequence of an interview between that Committee of the Corporation and Captain Plunkett, S.R.M., County Inspector Carr, and Sub-Inspector Starkie, in which an opinion is expressed that a force of one hundred and seventy constables is sufficient for the performance of the ordinary police duties of the city, and that the citizens are entitled to that number as a free force; and, whether he has yet decided upon the course which he will take in reply?
§ MR. TREVELYANThe Irish Government has received the Report referred to, in which an opinion is expressed that the free force for Cork City should be 170 men. The case of Cork was carefully considered by the Lord 1397 Lieutenant in 1882, when the last quinquennial redistribution of the force was made, and no addition to Cork City was found possible. By population, Cork is entitled to a free force of 150 men. Redistribution can only take place every five years. Therefore, there is no legal power to increase the free force. The present free force is 150, and the extra force from the Reserve is 39 men, nine having been added in April, 1883, to the 30 extra men then in the City. It is not proposed to charge for nine of these who are on detective duty. The Government is considering whether this force of 30 cannot be reduced by 10, which would bring the force to the number considered necessary by the Committee; but as, for the reasons stated, the free force cannot be extended from 150 to 170, it will be necessary that the City of Cork should pay the moiety of the expense of these 20 men.
§ MR. PARNELLasked whether the period of revision was fixed by Act of Parliament, or by a rule of the Irish Executive?
§ MR. TREVELYANMy belief is that the Act of Parliament states that the Lord Lieutenant shall have a fixed period of revision, and he has fixed it at five years. That is only my belief.