§ MR. M'COANasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, in view of the precedent established by the Report of the Select Committee on the Post Office in 1844, he will, as soon as may be consistent with the public interests, be prepared to lay upon the Table of the House a Return of all the Warrents issued by him since April 1880, to authorise the opening or detention of letters passing through the Post Office in Great Britain and Ireland?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTSir, I can only give the hon. Member the same answer which I gave the other day to the hon. Member for Newcastle (Mr. Cowen). I should consider it inconsistent with my duty, in the absence of any directions from the House, to do anything to impair or limit the power which Parliament has conferred on the Secretary of State by statute, by adding to it a condition which Parliament has not thought it right to impose.