COUNTY ANTRIM CONSTABULARY.

HC Deb 18 May 1899 vol 71 c937

MR. MACALEESE

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the action of County Inspector Scott, in promoting Protestant constables over Roman Catholics, has produced discontent in the ranks of the Country Antrim Constabulary; whether he can state how many Roman Catholics have either left the force altogether or applied for transfers to other counties since Mr. Scott's appointment in 1897; and, will he confer with Sir Andrew Reid, Inspector-General, in order to redress the balance in the County Antrim Force.

MR. G. W. BALFOUR:

I am not aware that any discontent has been produced, as alleged, in the ranks of the County Antrim Constabulary. The number of men serving in the county who have left the force since Mr. Scott's appointment in 1897 is as follows: —

	Roman Catholics.	Protestants.
Pensioned	11	11
Resigned	4	2
Applied for transfer to other counties	33	25

Of the four Roman Catholics who resigned, two did so to save themselves from dismissal. The county force consisted of 258 men at the end of last year, of whom 132 were Roman Catholics and 126 were Protestants. Promotions in Antrim, as elsewhere, are not regulated by considerations of religion, and the claims of all deserving constables are considered quite irrespective of their religious views.