§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, (1) whether his attention has been called to the case of Constable John Quinlan, who has just been awarded.£800 by the county of Cork Grand Jury, to be levied on the ratepayers of the county of Cork, as compensation for injuries inflicted on him in a public house at Castletownroche, where he had been called in to keep the peace between two men engaged in a drunken quarrel; (2) whether, in addition to this large sum, Quinlan will now obtain a pension from the force in the ordinary way, and whether it is the fact that, in the case of a policeman injured while on duty, power exists to give him the full pay of his rank on retiring; (3) whether he is aware that in the ease of a. policeman injured while on duty in England, Scotland, and the city of Belfast, no right exists of obtaining compensation to be levied off ratepayers; (4) whether it is the case that under the Irish Grand Jury Acts (outside Belfast) compensation in such cases can be awarded by the Grand Jury without any preliminary application to presentment sessions, and without any preliminary notice to the ratepayers of any kind being served or published; (5) whether he will take steps to have the English and the Irish law on this point assimilated; (6) and, whether meanwhile, in view of the terms as to pay and pension under which Irish policemen serve, the police authorities will make it a condition of admission to the force that claims of this kind shall not be made?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralMy attention has been drawn to the award to Constable Quinlan of a sum of £800 as compensation, by the Grand Jury of Cork, for injuries received in the execution of his duty. The constable is still under medical treatment and is at present on sick leave of absence, but he has not yet been pronounced to be incapacitated for further service, in the Constabulary, and should he be found to be incapacitated for further service he will become eligible for a pension. Power exists to grant pensions to members of the force incapacited for service through injuries received in the 124 execution of their duty not exceeding full pay; but the amount of such pensions is governed in every case by the length of service, the nature of the injury, and the extent of the constable's incapacity. It is a fact that in Belfast constables injured in similar circumstances cannot be granted compensation. This may also be the case in England and Scotland, but I have no information on that point. I believe the fact to be as stated in the fourth paragraph. As regards the fifth and sixth paragraphs, the questions raised are not such as I can give a reply to off-hand, as the matter is obviously one requiring grave consideration. It would be undesirable to effect what would practically be an alteration in the law by an administrative act.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYwas understood to ask whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that the hon. Baronet the member for Cambridgeshire and another hon. Member were ratepayers in the County of Cork, and could he suggest any reason why they should pay compensation?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURsaid that compensation had to be paid, and by somebody, and the area from which compensation was drawn would of course involve certain anomalies.
§ COLONEL WARING (Down, N.)was understood to ask whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that the two hon. members referred to expected to pay compensation.
§ [No answer was given.]
§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is aware that in the case in which Constable Quinlan was recently awarded £800 compensation by the County Cork Grand Jury, the Constabulary Authorities declined to state the amount of pension he would receive; and that Constables Leahy and Courtenay, who were each granted £1,000 compensation on previous occasions by County Cork Grand Juries, only obtained a portion of the pension which might have been granted to them; and, whether, in future, full information as to pension will be afforded when the claim for compensation is under consideration?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe Inspector General did not decline to state the amount of pension Constable Quinlan would receive, but, on the 11th instant, in reply to a telegram from a solicitor in Cork, the Inspector General wired that he was unable to say what pension the constable would get as the amount would depend on the extent of the injury received, and the degree of the constable's incapacity, and could only be fixed after the constable had been examined and pronounced unfit for further service by the surgeon to the force, or a Medical Board, and this has not yet been done in Constable Quinlan's case. In the case of Constables Leahy and Courtenay no portion of the pensions to which they were entitled was kept back, and the amount of their pensions was fixed entirely irrespective of the compensation granted to them by the Grand Jury.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANI beg to ask the Attorney General for Ireland whether, in view of the fact that the claim of Dennis Dooling, of Walshtownbeg, Midleton, county Cork, for compensation for malicious injury to a cow, has now been considered and dismissed by the County Cork Grand Jury, steps will be taken to prosecute this man for perjury?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. J. ATKINSON,) Londonderry, N.This Question appears to be founded on a misconception, Doolan did not prefer any claim at the assizes. I have called for a report of what took place at the Presentment Sessions and the evidence available. When it has been received, I will consider whether it is proper or desirable to institute a prosecution.