§ MR. SEXTONI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what is now the number of extra police in the County of Kerry, and what is the amount of the annual charge for them upon the county funds; whether there is anything exceptional in the condition of the county in respect to agrarian or ordinary crime; and when it may be expected that the extra charge will cease?
MR. J. MORLEYThe extra force of Kerry consists at present of 111 men, and there are also in the county 5 men of the reserve force. The cost to the county of this extra force would be about £3,700 per annum, and of the reserve force about £172, making a total annual charge of say £3,870, all of which is levied off the county at large. Recently 16 men of the reserve force have been absorbed into the free quota, and it has been decided to reduce the extra force from 111 to 96 men. This reduction will carried out before the 1st April, and both reductions will be equivalent to a relief of over £1,000 per annum in the future charge to the county and districts concerned. Six years ago the number of extra police in the county was 375. With reference to the second paragraph, there is nothing exceptional in the condition of Kerry in respect to crime. On the contrary, there has been a marked improvement in the state of the county from this point of view, both in regard to agrarian and non-agrarian crime. The number of extra police in a county does not, however, so much depend upon the number of outrages committed as upon the number of cases in which special police protection has to be given to individuals, and having regard to the demands made upon the county establishment in this respect it is not possible at present to reduce the extra force beyond the limit which I have indicated.
§ MR. SEXTONasked whether, as this monstrous charge upon one of the poorest counties in Ireland depended entirely on personal protection, the Chief Secretary would give directions for an investigation into the circumstances of the protection, and to see how many, and what was the nature of the cases which rendered the garrisoning of the county necessary.
MR. J. MORLEYsaid, that on the 31st December 1892, there were 98 persons protected, and the number of police employed in that duty was 134. On the 31st December 1894, the number of persons protected had gone up from 98 to 110, and the number of police protecting them went up to 171. There were 77 police stations in the county.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELLasked what kind of people were under protection?
MR. J. MORLEYI have not got all the Kerry cases in my mind, but I will look through them, and shall be glad to answer another question if it is addressed to me.
§ MR. SEXTONasked whether the right hon. Gentleman would see whether protection was really necessary?