§ MR. CALLANasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is a fact that Colonel Bruce, the Inspector General of the Royal Irish Constabulary, held an inquiry in the Castle, Dublin, into certain charges preferred against his colleague, James Ellis French; whether the minutes of the evidence taken at that inquiry, which resulted in the said James Ellis French being officially informed by Colonel Bruce that he should "not return to his office till called upon to do so," in other words, that he was suspended from duty, were laid before the Officers of the Crown for advice and direction; whether it is a fact that District Inspector Bell, Athenry, in the course of his evidence at said inquiry made a statement with reference to charges made by his clerk against James E. French of solicitation to commit a felony; and, if so, whether Colonel Bruce took any and, if so, what steps to secure the evidence of the said police clerk; whether it is a fact that Mr. John Mallon, the Chief Superintendent of the Detective Department of the Metropolitan Police, received no instructions to prosecute any further inquiries into the said charges, and, if so, whether any further inquiries whatever into the said charges were made; and, if so, by whom ordered, and by whom made; and, whether it is a fact that Colonel Bruce, instead of directing the prosecution of further inquiry into the matters disclosed at said inquiry, arising from which J. E. French was suspended from duty, on the contrary warned the District Inspectors so examined to suppress all mention of the matter, and not to divulge the fact that such an inquiry had been held?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThe answer to the first two paragraphs of this Question is in the affirmative. District Inspector Bell made a statement with reference to conduct of French towards a clerk which he regarded as suspicious; but there was no allegation whatever of solicitation to commit a felony. Colonel Bruce took immediate steps to procure the statement of the 1856 clerk, and it and the statements made by the officer at the inquiry were at once submitted by him in full to the Government. No instructions were immediately given to Mr. Mallon for a further inquiry, because, in the opinion of the Law Officers, the facts which had been then elicited did not constitute ground for an accusation of felonious conduct; but on the termination of the trial of Cornwall v. O'Brien, Mr. Mallon, as well as the other members of the Dublin Police Force, received instructions to make the most exhaustive inquiries, and prosecute all persons against whom evidence could be found. The inquiry held by Colonel Bruce was necessarily confidential, and those examined were so informed, as a matter of course; but, as I have previously stated, Colonel Bruce put the Government in immediate possession of all the information he acquired.