§ MR. YOUNG (Cavan, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, during the recent disturbances in Belfast the police were withdrawn from the streets in face 949 of a riotous mob; whether he is aware that this was also done repeatedly in the 1886 riots, and was denounced by the Royal Commission presided over by Mr. Justice Day as injudicious and disastrous; whether this action in opposition to the findings of the Royal Commission has been sanctioned by the Government; and, if not, whether steps will be taken by the Government to enforce the recommendations of the Commission on future occasions?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURAs I have already stated in the House it is not a fact that the police where withdrawn from the streets in the face of a riotous mob during the recent disturbances in that city. The police were at one moment driven back until reinforcements arrived, but they were never withdrawn from the streets, and throughout the disturbances performed their duty with the greatest pluck and determination.