§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the fact that, whereas the "free quota" of Constabulary for County Donegal is 300, and the number actually serving is only 280, the county is being charged for ten extra men; and whether he is aware that the late Mr. Forster, when Chief Secretary, admitted that such extra charging, when the free quota was not complete, was not intended?
§ MR. JACKSONThe free quota of Constabulary at present authorised for the County Donegal is 300. That county has also assigned to it an extra force of 20 men. I am not aware that a former Chief Secretary made the statement attributed to him. It may be that some of the number of the free quota may, as recruits, be in course of training at the depôt in Dublin, which is the training establishment for every county throughout Ireland. Where actual vacancies exist in the free quota of a county an allowance is made by Statute.
§ MR. A. O'CONNORI should like to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the Irish Office claim to be entitled to levy anything upon a county in respect of extra Constabulary when the free quota is short of the full number by the amount of the extra Constabulary?
§ MR. JACKSONWell, I do not understand the free quota is short in the sense in which the hon. Member puts it. His question certainly goes to show that the number actually serving is 280; but, as I have said, I presume there must be recruits, and that they have not been included in the number actually serving in the district.
§ MR. A. O'CONNORI should like to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will look at the Returns he has himself laid upon the Table, from which these figures have been drawn; and I would ask him whether he will take my assurance that the late Mr. Forster said he was satisfied that it was not intended, where the free quota was not complete, that the extra Constabulary should be charged on the county?
§ MR. JACKSONI am quite ready to accept the hon. Gentleman's statement of course as regards what Mr. Forster told him. But I think the difference is as to what constitutes a free quota; whether it is limited to the number actually serving in the district, or includes a certain number of recruits in training.