§ MR. WILLIAM O'BRIEN (Cork)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has received a copy of a Resolution passed by the county at large Presentment Sessions for the County of Cork applying for the reduction of the extra police force for that county; whether he is aware that eight of the nine Magistrates and cesspayers who assented to the Resolution are Unionists, and the Chairman, Mr. Savage French, J.P., is a prominent member of the Cork Landlords' Union, and that the Chairman observed that he did not see the necessity for any extra police at present; and whether, in view of this Resolution, and of the peaceful condition of the county, steps will be taken for the reduction of the extra police force?
MR. J. MORLEYIt appears from a local newspaper report that at the Cork Presentment Sessions held on May 21 the Magistrates and ratepayers drew attention to
the charge for Constabulary for the half-year to March last, with a view to the reduction of the Force at the earliest possible period if the. state of the county would permit.1748 I have no knowledge of the political opinions of the gentlemen who carried the Resolution, though, of course, it is quite possible the hon. Member's surmise in this respect is correct. It is true that the condition of the county is generally satisfactory and peaceful. But, as already stated by me, there is an area which does not bear favourable comparison with the rest of the county; and the local Constabulary Authorities, taking into consideration the nature of the duty to be performed by the police over so extensive a county as Cork, cannot at present recommend a reduction in the extra force.