§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state, as from the partition of the Irish Constabulary Force Fund into two branches, the aggregate income of the benefit branch from subscriptions, the total increase by interest and appreciation, the total loss by inopportune sales and depreciation, the total cost of management, and the number of subscribers whose entire subscriptions have, from any cause, gone to swell the capital without payment of benefit out of them to any person?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe total income of the benefit branch of the Constabulary Force Fund from deductions from pay and pensions from 1st April, 1891, when the benefit branch was formed, to 31st March last was approximately £182,000, and the interest on investments received to 5th instant amounts to £216,920. The gain from appreciation or loss through depreciation can only be definitely determined when the whole of the securities have been realised, and in this connection I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question by the Secretary to the Treasury on 12th February last. As the sales of stock which have so far taken place have been to meet demands on the fund they can scarcely be classed as inopportune. No charge is made against the fund for cost of management. It would be impossible to state in how many cases subscriptions have gone to swell the capital of the fund without any benefit to the subscriber. I would, however, remind the hon. Member that but for the number of cases of this kind it would not be possible to maintain the present liberal scale of grants to the widows and children entitled to benefit.