MR. STANLEY WILSON (Yorkshire, E.R., Holderness)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to the report of the Irish Constabulary to the Judge of Assize at Tralee, which stated that since the last assizes there had been ten cases of arson, and that thirteen persons were under constant and eleven under occasional police protection; and, if this is true, what steps he intends to take to remedy this state of affairs.
§ (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The hon. Member appears to have read a report of the Lord Chief Justice's address to the grand jury at Tralee assizes, in which the 1285 details mentioned in the Question were stated. The hon. Gentleman, however, does not refer to the comment which the learned Judge made on the state of county Kerry, namely, that for some years past very appreciable progress in the direction of peace and good order has taken place. I am informed that, as regards the cases of constant police protection, the majority are of many years' standing and no new case has arisen since 1905. As regards the cases of burning, the Judge himself said that it would be better to suspend judgment as to whether they were cases of incendiary fire until they had been investigated by the Judge of Assize. No special steps appear to be necessary in county Kerry.