§ MR. SLOAN (Belfast, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will explain why papers in connection with the Royal Irish Constabulary have been destroyed.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe Inspector-General, on his inspection of police barracks throughout the country last summer, found large accumulations of useless and obsolete books and Returns, causing much inconvenience and, in some instances, being injurious to health. So far back as 31st October he ordered these to be arranged and examined by local officers, and finally be fixed a period for the destruction of each class of book and Return. Nothing which could be of any possible value as a public record has been destroyed or marked out for destruction under this order.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)asked whether these papers were not periodically destroyed, so that there was nothing new in this.
§ MR. WYNDHAMYes, as a matter of routine they are periodically destroyed, generally on the initiative of the officers in the place. In this case a thorough overhauling was undertaken.