§ Mr. MALCOLMasked the Chief Secretary whether he will grant a Return enumerating those duties entrusted to the Royal Irish Constabulary which are not performed by the Constabulary in Great Britain?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThere are 191 separate police forces under separate authorities in England and Wales, and the extra duties performed by the police vary indefinitely in different districts. Having regard to the variety of these duties it would be almost, impossible to give a Return with any degree of precision distinguishing between those performed by the police in Ireland and in different parts of England. The only duties performed by the Royal Irish Constabulary which cannot be said to fall on the police in England are the collection of agricultural statistics and the taking of the Census, and even here the police were called on this year to assist the Census officers, especially with regard to vagrants, and they have been employed in taking a Census of horses and vehicles for the War Office.