Mr. NUGENTasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the mess charges per week paid by the Dublin Metropolitan Police per man for the first week in August of this year, and what was the average cost per man per week for the year previous to the War; also, what was the average weekly cost per man for the year 1884, taking any police station in the city of Dublin for its standard?
§ Mr. DUKEIn the barracks of the B Division of the Dublin Metropolitan Police the cost of dinners for the first week of the present month was 6s. 8d. per man, and the average weekly cost for the year previous to the War was 5s. 4d. No record is available of the prices in 1884, but the charge is said to have varied from 4s. 6d.2076W to 5s. The mess consists of dinner only, excluding dinner on Friday, and is entirely in the hands of the men themselves.
Mr. NUGENTasked the Chief Secretary if he will state the wages and other allowances, if any, per month of constables of three and five years' service in Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, and London; and what is the estimated cost of living in each of the cities in question for men of a similar social position?
§ Mr. DUKEConstables of the Dublin Metropolitan Police having from three to eight years' service receive pay of 29s. a week and, in addition, a war bonus of 3s. 6d. a week. From inquiries which I am making concerning the other forces mentioned, it appears that their ordinary rates of pay are somewhat higher than the Dublin rates, but they are subject to a deduction, not applicable in Dublin, of 2½ per cent, towards pension funds. The practice in the matter of war bonus varies in the cities of Great Britain, none being given, as I am informed, in Glasgow, Manchester, or Edinburgh. In Liverpool there is a war bonus of 1s. 6d. a week to the force generally, with a further sum not exceeding 3s. to married men. The London Metropolitan Police have a war bonus of 3s. a week and the, Birmingham Police 2s. 6d. I have no authoritative information as to the present cost of living in the cities mentoned by the hon. Member, but it appeared from the inquiry made by the Board of Trade in 1912 that the cost of living of the working classes in Dublin and Glasgow was 7 per cent, less than in London and about 4 per cent, and 6 per cent, greater than the cost in Liverpool and Birmingham respectively.
Mr. NUGENTasked the Chief Secretary by whose authority the Dublin Metropolitan Police were warned against asking the assistance of the chief magistrate of Dublin for the relief of their grievances; and if he will state whether the City Police of London, Glasgow, Birmingham, or Liverpool would be permitted to approach the chief magistrates of their respective cities to consider their treatment in the matter of wages?
§ Mr. DUKEAs I intimated in reply to a question of the hon. Member on Wednesday last, it is inconsistent with the discipline of the Dublin Metropolitan Police that in matters concerning the force members of it should make to outside authorities representations which 2077W they had not made to their own superiors. The Chief Commissioner, with my approval, in view of the steps which had been taken by some members of the police force, caused a notice to be issued in accordance with this principle, and at the same time drew attention to the methods legitimately available to the force for seeking redress of any grievances under which they might consider themselves to labour. The members of the force, I am glad to say, received this notice with their accustomed loyalty and regard for discipline. The case of Dublin cannot properly be compared with the others mentioned by the hon. Member, as in the latter cases the police are under municipal control.
§ Mr. BYRNEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if his attention has been drawn to a circular issued by the Commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan police prohibiting the men from holding meetings in support of the demands for a living wage; if he will say what means the men will have of making their grievances known to the ratepayers of Dublin, who pay 8d. in the £ towards the upkeep of the police, if the right of public meeting is refused; and if ho will say if the Government have devised any scheme to meet the request of the Dublin Metropolitan police for an increase in wages?
§ Mr. DUKEI would refer the hon. Member to the replies which I have just given to the questions asked on this subject by the hon. Member for the College Green Division of Dublin.