§ MR. SLOANTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that several sergeants of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Belfast having over thirty years service are being compelled to retire on pension, while in the same town there are head constables and constables having the same number of years service who are being retained; and if he can explain why this compulsory retirement is not universal.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) The power invested in the Inspector-General by Statute of compulsorily retiring members of the force throughout the country is exercised only in cases of inefficiency, or for some other similar reason, and not on account of length of service alone. Six sergeants of the Belfast force were thus compulsorily retired during the past three years, but, at the present time, there is no case of a sergeant in Belfast being under notice to be compulsorily retired on pension.