HC Deb 14 August 1879 vol 249 cc984-5
MR. MONK

I wish to ask Mr. Attorney General a Question, of which I have given him private Notice, with reference to a report that is prejudicial to the character of Lord De L'Isle and Dudley. That report, having appeared in the public Press, appeared to receive confirmation from an answer given by the hon. and learned Member in this House yesterday to a Question put by the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Blake). I now ask the Attorney General, What grounds he had for stating that he believed the facts mentioned by the hon. Member for Leominster to be correctly represented; and, whether it is within his knowledge that any Peer of the Realm has acted in the manner described by the hon. Member? Owing to illness, Lord De L'Isle and Dudley, who is confined to his room, is unable to attend in "another place" to deny that there is one word of truth in the report.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (SIR JOHN HOLKER)

Before I answered the Question put to me by the hon. Member for Leominster, I had seen a report in a newspaper of proceedings in the Brompton County Court, and of a judgment, or decision, pronounced by the learned Judge of that Court. I assumed the report to be correct. What I meant by saying that the facts appeared to be correctly represented was that the statement contained in the Question corresponded with that given in the newspaper. I have no knowledge whatever of the matter, except from information derived from the newspaper report, and from the Question of the hon. Member for Leominster, and I should be glad if it turns out that the report was incorrect. I may say that I studiously avoided mentioning any name whatever.

MR. MONK

The Question was in reference to a Peer of the Realm, and Lord De L'Isle and Dudley is the only Peer of the Realm of that name. On his behalf I beg to give the statement in question a most unqualified contradiction.

MR. BLAKE

Perhaps the House will allow me to state that in the Question I asked of the Attorney General there was no mention of Lord De L'Isle and Dudley's name. It is rather inconvenient that the noble Lord should take this mode of clearing up an inaccuracy which appears in a newspaper report. I handed a copy of the Question to the hon. and learned Gentleman (the Attorney General) that he might be prepared to answer it.