§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the rules under which the Irish Constabulary Force Fund is administered, whereby the chance of benefiting diminishes the longer a contributor continues to contribute, so that claims commonly lapse after payment for fifty years; whether he will say how many pensioners are now living whose claims upon this fund have wholly lapsed from no other cause but having outlived a limit laid down in the rules; whether he is aware that no other fund ostensibly for the benefit of public servants is subject to rules producing such results; if he does not approve of those results, whether he will have the rules altered or the fund wound up; whether he is aware that the officers and officials, who alone are interested in maintaining the fund, have failed to get any of the rank and file to support them; and 2235W whether he has considered the advisability of acceding to the prayer of 90 per cent. of the subscribers to this fund now in Ireland?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI would remind the hon. Member that an actuarial inquiry is at present being made into the position of the Constabulary Force Fund. Pending the report of the actuary it would be premature to consider any alteration of the rules in the direction indicated in the question. As regards the proposed winding up of the fund, I would refer the hon. Member to the numerous replies I have given to questions on this point.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the scale of grants on retirement as actually paid out of the Constabulary Force Fund to county inspectors, district inspectors, head constables, sergeants, acting sergeants, and constables?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Regulations on the subject of paying grants from the Constabulary Force Fund on retirement are as follows:—
SCALE of Rewards on Retirement for Absence of Unfavourable Records. To each Who shall Serve the last:30 years without an Unfavourable Record. Who shall Serve 30 years and upwards, the last 15 without an Unfavourable Record. Who shall Serve over 25 years. But under 30, the last 19 without an Unfavourable Record. Who shall Serve over 15 years, but under 25, the last 10 without an Unfavourable Record. £. s. d. £. s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. County Inspector 20 0 0 15 0 0 12 0 0 — District Inspector 14 0 0 12 0 0 10 0 0 7 0 0 Head Constable 5 0 0 4 0 0 3 0 0 2 10 0 Sergeant 4 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 Acting-Sergeant and Constable 4 0 0 2 10 0 200 10 0 1 10 0 All members of the force appointed before 18th June, 1883, retiring on a pension, excluding the Inspector-General, Deputy Inspector-General, Assistant Inspector-Generals, Commissioner of Belfast, Barrack-Master, Surgeon, and Veterinary Surgeon, who are not to receive any such grants, will receive, in addition to any sums payable to them under the preceding section, grants, at present calculated at 2 per cent. upon the annual pay of their rank, to defray expenses consequent on their leaving the force.