HC Deb 05 April 1909 vol 3 cc726-7
Mr. LONSDALE

asked the Chief Secretary whether it is intended this year to redistribute the free quotas of police in Ireland; if so, whether he will state the number of the free force to be distributed, and on what principle the allocation is to be made; and whether the disturbed counties of Clare, Galway, King's County, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Sligo, and Westmeath, in which additional police are now serving by virtue of proclamations under The Constabulary (Ireland) Act, 1836, will have those additional police allocated to them as a free force at the expense of the imperial taxpayer?

Mr. BIRRELL

This whole matter is under consideration, but I am not prepared to make any statement on the subject at present.

Mr. MOONEY

Is he prepared to admit the accuracy of the statement that extra police are serving in the disturbed county of Roscommon, or is it not the fact that they were withdrawn from Roscommon last week.

Mr. BIRRELL

If that is so, the county is no longer disturbed.