asked, If the attention of the Government has been called to a statement in "The Times" of the 30th of July, that Sub-Inspector Montgomery, who had been sentenced to death for murder, had been interviewed by some reporters; and, whether the regulations of the Gaol admitted of such a proceeding; and, if so, whether he would take steps to prevent its recurrence?

Sir, immediately upon the report of the interview with Mr. Montgomery appearing in the Dublin newspapers, inquiry was made through the Inspectors General of Prisons as to the circumstances under which the interview was permitted. The local Inspector of the Omagh Gaol stated that the reporters for the Press were admitted on a written order from the Sheriff to the Governor, acting, as was supposed, under the provisions of an Act of Parliament. The Sheriff has been called upon for further explanations, and steps will be taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar proceeding.

asked the Secretary of the Treasury, Whether, in the case of the retirement of a civil servant, from the abolition of his appointment, it was not usual in calculating the amount of his pension to acid ten years to his actual period of service; and, whether, in the case of Mr. John Maclean (now Sir John Maclean), whose retirement allowance was agreed to in January, 1871, this ten years was not added to his period of service; and, whether, in the case of Mr. Walter Freeth, whose appointment as Chief Clerk (Military Department) in the War Office had lately been abolished, clue attention had been given by the Treasury to the special recommendations of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief for Mr. Freeth to receive "full pay, or the highest rate of retirement to which his special services seemed to justly entitle him;" and, if not, why not?

Sir, my hon. Friend the Secretary to the Treasury did not receive Notice of the hon. Member's Question in time to be in his place to answer it. In the absence of my hon. Friend I beg to say that it is the practice, at the Treasury, in calculating the amount of pension to be granted to a retiring Civil servant to add 10 years to his actual time of ser- vice, wherever that service has exceeded 20 years. In the case of Sir John Maclean those 10 years were added. In the case of Mr. Walter Freeth, the recommendation of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief was fully considered by the Treasury, and the only reason he did not receive the addition of the full 10 years was, that if that had been done the effect would have been to raise the pension beyond the limits of two-thirds of the salary, the limit contemplated by the Civil Service Superannuation Act. He therefore only received as much as was sufficient to make the pension two-thirds of the salary.

said, that the cases were parallel, as in the one case the amount of service was, he believed, 33 and in the other 34 years.

I do not understand the hon. Member to say that there is a case for the reduction of the pension of Sir John Maclean. If he does, that is a different matter, and should be the subject of another Question.