§ MR. JAMES DALY (Monaghan, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, (1) whether he will inquire from the police at Carrick-macross if District Inspector Bain, when stationed there, examined the police out of his own books; and, (2) whether he will take steps to prevent District Inspector Bain from selling his books to the police under his charge in future?
§ MR. T. H. COCHRANE (Ayrshire, N.)asked whether Inspector Bain mentioned in the Question was specially sent to South Monaghan to suppress boycotting and intimidation; whether, in the course of this duty, he obtained a conviction against a man of the name of Daly, who was sentenced at Londonderry Assizes, in 1890, to six months' imprisonment with hard labour; whether the hon. Member, who had repeatedly asked questions reflecting on Inspector Bain, was the same gentleman as the Mr. Daly who was prosecuted by Mr. Bain?
§ MR. DALYYes, Sir, I am the individual who was sentenced by the right hon. Gentleman's brother to six months' imprisonment, and I am very proud of it. [Nationalist cheers.]
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralSo recently as Tuesday last I informed the hon. Member that Mr. Bain had assured me that he never at 1002 any time required the men under his command to answer questions from any particular books or publications. I see no reasons for doubting the truth of this very categorical statement, nor any necessity for instituting the inquiries suggested in the first paragraph. In reply to the second part of the question, I am informed by Mr. Bain that his books have been sold in the ordinary way through the medium of the bookseller, and that he never sold his manuals to the men under his command except on one or two occasions when a member of the force spontaneously applied to him for a copy. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ MR. J. P. FARRELL (Cavan W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, can he state what percentage of the total force of the Royal Irish Constabulary is at present on pension; is it proposed to reduce the force by stopping recruiting; and can any scheme be devised to relieve taxation by a commutation of pensions.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe percentage of members of the force on pension is about 33. The Executive Government are perfectly alive to the importance of keeping down the strength of the force consistently with a due regard to public interests. Compared with the 1st January, 1895, the existing Establishment shows a reduction of 162 men, and since January, 1883, there has been a reduction of 2,440 men in the authorised strength. The Constabulary Acts of Parliament under which Pensions are granted do not provide any system of commutation of these allowances. Undoubtedly the amount of the non-effective charge is a grave matter and is deserving of the most serious consideration.