§ 7. Mr. WILLIAM O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary if he can name any of the 103 Irish representatives in this House, or any representative body in Ireland, who approve of his refusal to wind up the Constabulary Force Pensions Fund; and, if not, will he state on what principle he, as a Home Rule Minister, refuses to defer to Irish public opinion on the subject?
§ Mr. GULLAND (Lord of the Treasury)The Constabulary Force Fund was created by Statute for the benefit of widows and orphans of subscribers and cannot be diverted to any other purpose save by legislation, and ought not to be so diverted unless it can be shown that owing to change of circumstances the original trusts cannot properly be executed. My right hon. Friend has received many letters 2200 from persons directly interested in the fund, protesting against any interference with it; and the resolutions in favour of winding up the fund which he has received from public bodies are almost invariably based on a misapprehension of the facts. He would ask the hon. Member to suspend his judgment until the completion of the actuarial inquiry now in progress enables a full statement with regard to the fund to be published.