§ Mr. FETHERSTONHAUGHasked the Chief Secretary whether written complaints have been made to the constabulary authorities against Sergeant Carroll, Royal Irish Constabulary, Maguires-bridge, county Fermanagh, for neglecting and refusing to protect a Mr. Irvine, his family, and house against a riotous mob in August last, and for insulting conduct to the same Mr. Irvine in March last; is this the same sergeant against whom Mr. Irvine got a decree for assault; is he the same sergeant who was in charge of the police when a son of Mr. Irvine was assaulted by Constable Carolin, Royal Irish Constabulary, for which assault the boy recovered damages; did the constabulary authorities purport to inquire into the charges or any of them; did they do so ex parte, having only the evidence of the police, and without hearing the complainants or Mr. Irvine; and will he direct an inquiry into the matter at which both sides can be heard; and, having regard to the constant friction and ill-feeling between the Protestant inhabitants of Maguiresbridge and Sergeant Carroll, will he suggest that the interests of peace would be best served by promoting Sergeant Carroll to some other district of greater importance and affording more scope for his abilities?
§ Mr. BIRRELLComplaints have been made against Sergeant Carroll as stated in the question. Mr. Irvine got a decree against him in 1909 for assault, but the Lord Chief Baron, on appeal, held that the assault was merely technical, and gave only sixpence damages. Mr. Irvine's son also obtained damages against a constable for assault during an election row, but the charges brought against Sergeant Carroll, who was in charge of the police on that occasion, were dismissed by the county court judge. The complaints against the sergeant have been inquired into by the Inspector-General, who is satisfied that the sergeant discharges his duties efficiently and impartially, and I see no reason for the inquiry suggested, or for transferring the sergeant to another district.
Captain CRAIGasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that subsistence allowance is not allowed members of the Royal Irish Constabulary, whilst engaged in collecting the Census returns, for duty performed within a radius of two miles 855W from enumerator's barracks; whether this allowance is payable for duty performed partly within and partly outside this radius; whether this radius is calculated by the nearest public road or is it a mathematical radius; whether he is aware that superintendents are disallowing claims made for duty performed partly within and partly outside two miles from enumerator's barracks; what amount has been so disallowed in counties Down and Antrim; whether superintendents are empowered to disallow these claims, if not, will he issue instructions to them to have claims amended; whether he will cause full inquiry to be made into claims so disallowed to prevent any claimant being properly deprived of subsistence allowance actually earned by him; what was the object of imposing a two-mile limit from station for this duty, and was it intended that a man, after having performed a portion of a day's work within a radius of two miles from barracks and then proceeded outside that limit, should be deprived of subsistence allowance?
§ Mr. BIRRELLSubsistence allowance for absence in the daytime is not granted to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary for any duty performed within two miles of their station by the nearest road. The accounts of the census enumerators will be examined by the constabulary authorities prior to transmission to the Registrar General for repayment, and every care will be taken that no enumerator is deprived of any subsistence allowance to which he is justly entitled. Superintendents are empowered to disallow claims for subsistence allowance which do not appear to them to be in accordance with constabulary regulations, but the Inspector General is not aware that any claims have been disallowed in counties of Down and Antrim. All such disallowances, if made, will be reviewed when the accounts of the enumerators are being audited. Subsistence allowance is granted, if the duty is continuous, in the circumstances mentioned in the last paragraph of the question.