§ Mr. GINNELLasked whether officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary appointed as resident magistrates continue to subscribe to the Constabulary Force Fund as such; and, if so, at what age are they retired on pension?
§ Mr. BIRRELLWhen a constabulary officer, who is a subscriber to the Constabulary Force Fund Benefit Branch, is appointed a resident magistrate, his contributions to the fund cease and all claims in respect of past subscriptions lapse.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked what was the amount of gratuity paid from the Irish 1016W Constabulary Force Fund, on their retirement on pension, to Inspector-General Wood in 1876 and to Inspector-General Hillier in 1882; and what was the scale of grants to cover expenses of retirement in those respective years, on first-class favourable records, to county inspectors, sub-inspectors, head constables, acting constables, and sub-constables?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe gratuities paid, in accordance with the then existing rules of the Constabulary Force Fund, to Inspectors-General Wood and Hillier on their retirement, from the service were in each case £279. Under these rules all ranks of the Force, from the Inspector-General down, received, in the year 1876, grants on retirement of 6 per cent. of their pay. This grant was afterwards increased, and in 1882 was 8 per cent. in the case of head and other constables. In addition to this grant, sums varying from £18, in the case of a county inspector, to £2 10s. in the case of a constable were awarded for each favourable record held by the member of the service at the date of retirement, if he had served for thirty years. A somewhat smaller grant was paid to officers and men of shorter service. A further reward of £20 was paid to a county inspector, £14 to a district inspector, £5 to a head constable, and £4 to a sergeant, acting-sergeant, or constable, if he had served the last thirty years of his service without an unfavourable record. As no payment for records was made to the superior officers of the force, they received on retirement, in addition to the 6 per cent. above referred to, a further payment of 9½ per cent. of their pay. No such payments are now made to superior officers, the rules having been revised in 1891.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked what amount was transferred from the Irish Constabulary Force Fund when it was divided into two branches to form the nucleus of the new reward branch; what capital then remained to the credit of the benefit branch; for what purpose and for whose benefit Consols, the property of the subscribers, were recently sold at a loss of £4,913; whether, since the subscribers have no control, the Government will make good that and similar avoidable losses; and, if no statement of accounts of the benefit, branch has ever been issued to subscribers, will he say under what Section of the Acts governing the fund the accounts are so withheld?
1017W
§ Mr. BIRRELLWhen the Constabulary Force Fund was divided into two separate branches in 1891, all the then existing capital was retained in the benefit branch, the reward branch being started without any capital. The capital of the benefit branch was then £304,000, including £150,000 granted by Parliament to ensure the solvency of the fund. As the receipts from deductions from pay and pensions and interest on capital are no longer sufficient to pay current claims, a portion of the capital has to be realised each year to help meet these demands, and any loss incurred in these circumstances through the depreciation of securities is unavoidable. There is no statutory provision requiring the publication of the accounts of the fund, and it is not correct to say that they are being withheld.