§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENTI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if the officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary compelled to retire under the Home Rule Bill will stand in exactly the same position as the constables as regards years added to actual service and other matters; if all allowances now counting towards pension will be included in fixing its amount should the Bill become law; and if he is now in a position to state what will be the cost to the British and Irish Exchequers respectively of the disbandment of the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police?
MR. J. MORLEYThe answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative, except, of course, that in the case of officers the number of years added is 12, and in the case of constables 10. In reply to the second paragraph, the allowances now counting will continue to count under the Schedule. In answer to the third paragraph, I am not in a position to state what will be the cost for reasons which I think my hon. and gallant Friend will readily recognise, because it must depend on the number of men volunteering for the new Force and other matters which cannot be decided for a considerable time. It is not possible to give anything like an accurate estimate of the cost.