Mr. NUGENTasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that the result of his recent inquiry into the pay and allowance of Irish prison warders has been received by those officers with disappointment and has only increased the discontent aready existing in the service; that their claim is for equal pay and allowance with the English warders for existing Irish warders, as promised by the Treasury and announced in Parliament in 1993W April, 1916; and that sufficient money has been saved by the recent reorganisation of the Irish service to accomplish that object without directly appealing to the Treasury; whether, in view of the fact that fuel and light, as well as other allowances, have been taken from those existing officers with a view to assimilating them with the English warders, he will consider the desirability of providing that their pay should also be assimilated; if, in order to put an end to this agitation of over four years' standing, he will take steps to have existing warders' pay equalised with that of English warders by putting them on such pay as they would have had they entered the service at 24s. per week; and if he is aware that until that is done and the Treasury promise of April, 1916, carried out in full the existing Irish warders are determined to carry on the agitation?
§ Mr. DUKEI have recommended the changes in the scheme which appeared to be needed to carry out the intentions with which it was framed and effect has been given to my recommendations by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. What the effect may be of this effort to remove grievances I, of course, cannot foresee.