HC Deb 21 June 1888 vol 327 cc817-8
MR. W. REDMOND (Fermanagh, N.)

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to following account of an eviction in Ireland, which is taken from a London paper:— An eviction was carried out yesterday on the property of Mr. Montroy Gledstances Fardross, Clogher, telegraphs our Dublin correspondent. Nearly 40 police were in attendance. The evicted family numbers six members. One, a blind boy, received the last sacrement last evening, and the father, an old man 80 years was so weak and ill, as to appear utterly unconscious of what was going on around him. Another son be sought the sub-sheriff (Mr. McKelvey) to delay the removal of the father from bed till the parish priest might be sent for, as the arrival of Mr. McKelvey had taken the family by surprise, but the officer was inexorable. The old man was then transferred from his bed to a cart, in which he was conveyed to the house off a son-in-law, where he received the last sacrament immediately afterwards from the parish priest; and, whether it is not in the power of the Government to refuse to allow the forces of the Crown to be used in evicting persons under such painful circumstances?

THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)

I am sorry that the reports which I have received are not sufficiently full to enable me to answer this Question to-day. Would the hon. Gentleman kindly put the Question down for to-morrow?

MR. W. REDMOND

Mr. Speaker, this is the second time that I have put this Question; and I will ask the right hon. Gentleman whether his attention has been called to the information which has been given to the public in the newspapers to-day—information which the Government, as appears from the answer of the right hon. Gentleman, could not get, although the public have it to-day? The Question I wish to ask is this—

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order! The right hon. Gentleman has just stated that he is not in a position to give an answer to-day, but that he will give it to-morrow. If the hon. Gentleman is asking a Question now which is not on the Paper he should give Notice of it.

MR. W. REDMOND

I beg to ask the right hon. Gentleman a Question as to a matter which appears in the newspapers in connection with this case?

MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member must give Notice of the Question.

MR. W. REDMOND

But the man is dying.

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!

MR. W. REDMOND

But the man is dying. ["Order!"] It is very hard that a man is turned out to die.

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!

MR. W. REDMOND

Turned out to die on the roadside.

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!