§ MR. MEEHAN (Queen's County, Leix)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the district inspector, head constable, and sergeant of the Royal Irish Constabulary, stationed at Abbeyleix, Queen's County, are Protestants, which is contrary to the arrangement that at least one of the officers at any station should be a Catholic; whether he is aware that seven-tenths of the police at this station and 80 per cent, of the population are Catholic; and will he give instructions that one, at least, of the officers in charge at this station should be a Catholic.
MR. BRYCEThe inspector-general informs mo that of the police force at present stationed at Abbeyleix, the district inspector, head constable, one sergeant, and two constables, are Protestants, and that one acting-sergeant and five constables are Roman Catholics. It is, I understand, the fact that 80 per cent, of the population of Abbeyleix are Roman Catholics. There is no arrangement or rule universally applied that one of the officers at any station should be a Catholic, though this is usually the case. The Inspector-General is not aware that there is any dissatisfaction with the present arrangement of the force at Abbeyleix. The allocation of the men is regulated in accordance with public requirements.