§ MR. J. C. FLYNN (Cork, N.)On behalf of the hon. Member for South Louth Mr. R. MCGHEE, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether he will state for what period County Inspector Warburton has been in charge of the constabulary in county Armagh; (2) whether he will explain how it is that since Mr. Warburton came there seven Protestant constables have been promoted to the rank of acting sergeant and that no Roman Catholic constables have been promoted notwithstanding that several equally qualified Roman Catholics are on his seniority list; (3) whether he will state the number of Protestant sergeants who died, retired on pension, or otherwise left the service during the same period, and if it was to fill the vacancies so 339 made that the seven Protestant constables were promoted; and (4) whether he will state the number of constables now serving in county Armagh, and how many of them are Roman Catholics?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralMr. Warburton has been in charge of the County Armagh Constabulary for the past three years. There is no foundation whatever for the allegation in second paragraph. Of the 13 constables promoted during the past three years, five were Roman Catholics; and of 40 sergeants at present stationed in the county, 30 are of the same religious persuasion. As to the third paragraph, three vacancies occurred in the rank of sergeant during the past three years. Constables are promoted to fill vacancies in the rank of acting sergeant, not of sergeant. There are 149 constables now serving in the county Armagh, of whom 87 are Roman Catholics.
§ MR. FLYNNOn behalf of the hon. Member for South Louth (Mr. MCGHEE), I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will state the number of Protestants and Roman Catholic clerks respectively at present employed in the office of the County Inspector in county Armagh, also the number of each employed in the office of his predecessor immediately before Mr. Warburton's appointment to county Armagh?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURTwo clerks, both Protestants, are at present employed in the County Inspector's office, and, until recently, one of the clerks was a Roman Catholic. Such appointments are not regulated by considerations of religion, and are made by the Inspector General, not by the County Inspector.