§ MR. ROCHEI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the fact that, in the Parliamentary Return, circulated last week, on all outrages and other offences of an indictable character in Ireland, there were committed in Ulster 33 per cent. of the offences against the person, 38 per cent. of the offences against property, 35 per cent. of the offences against the public peace, omitting alleged threatening letters, and 45 per cent. of all other offences; whether he is aware that, of the indictable offences in Ulster, 42 per cent, were committed in Belfast; and whether, if these figures be correct, he will state what special steps will be taken to more strictly enforce law and order in the province of Ulster.
§ MR. WALTER LONGThe facts are correctly stated in the Question, save that as regards offences against the 449 public peace, omitting threatening letters and notices, only 23 per cent. occurred in Ulster. The Parliamentary Return referred to does not include the Dublin Metropolitan Police district. At the last census the population of Ireland (excluding Dublin) was 4,076,304. The population of Ulster was 1,582,826, or 38.8 per cent. The percentage of outrages in Ulster is less than this in three out of the four classes alluded to in the Question. Taking the four classes in globo, only 32 per cent. ocurred in Ulster. As I have already pointed out, the figures indicate that no special steps are necessary for the enforcement of law and order in Ulster.
§ MR. FLAVINWill the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to give any Member of the Irish Party half-a-dozen specific cases of so-called outrage on private property, so that we may test the accuracy of the police report?
§ [No Answer was returned.]