§ MR. P. O'BRIEN (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will inquire if it was in 1888 that the order made in 1879 requiring that prison officers should wear uniform off duty was enforced; and, if so, what special circumstances called for its enforcement at that particular time; what steps have the Prisons Board taken to inform themselves of the feeling of the officers; will he advise the Prisons Board to take the opinion of the officers of all ranks as to whether they consider the wearing of uniform off duty as a grievance which exposes them to assault and insult, and cause the Board at the same time to inform the officers that they will be free to express their opinion on the question without fear of being fined or otherwise punished by the Board; and whether, if it is found that a majority of the officers desire to be free, as English prison officers are, to wear civilian's dress off duty, they will be free to do so?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN, Dublin University)The General Prisons Board report that the date of the circular calling attention to the order referred to of 1879 was the 8th of April, 1889. This second circular was issued because cases were brought under the notice of 1378 the Board, from which it appeared that the previous order was not being generally observed as directed in 1879. The Board have not taken steps to ascertain the feeling of the officers in the matter; but, as stated by them in reply to a question in June, 1890, there is no doubt that many of the warders dislike the rule; but in cases in which reasonable grounds are given, the Board frequently permit an officer to wear plain clothes when off duty, and all officers are, of course, exempt from the obligation to wear uniform when on general leave of absence. The Board attach importance to the order from an administrative point of view, and cannot recommend its rescision.