§ MR. KENNEDYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant 349 of Ireland if he can state what percentage of the men of the Royal Irish Constabulary force are Catholics, and what percentage of the non-commissioned officers of the same force are Catholics?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. J. MORLEY, Newcastle-upon-Tyne)From a Return of the religions of head and other constables in the Constabulary on January 1 last (which is the latest information available), I find that the proportion of constables serving on that date who were Roman Catholics was 73.4 per cent.; of acting sergeants, 74.8 per cent.; of sergeants, 7O.9 per cent.; and of head constables, 65 per cent. The proportion of Catholics in all these ranks to the total number serving on the date mentioned was 72.8 per cent.