§ MR. REDMONDasked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, Whether his attention has been drawn to a Letter from Mr. J. Moyle Mahony, a suspect in Enniskillen Gaol, published in the "Freeman's Journal" of 3rd instant; whether it is true that, on St. Patrick's Day, prisoners in the various gaols were deprived of their ordinary privileges of seeing visitors, as provided by the prison rules; whether, on Mr. Mahony making complaint on this matter to the Prisons Board, he received through the Governor a reply, to the effect that they approved of this departure from the prison rules, and that if he attempted to make the matter known to the Press, that he "would never again be permitted to visit anyone;" and, whether he will have this matter at once inquired into?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)The persons detained under the Protection Act in the various gaols in Ireland were not, on St. Patrick's Day, deprived of their ordinary privilege of seeing visitors as provided by the Prison Rules. In Clonmel Gaol alone (owing to the Governor's misapprehension of the Rules) were they deprived of that privilege; and, of course, this miscarriage will not occur again. It is the fact that no visitor was admitted to Mr. Mahony in Enniskillen Gaol on St. Patrick's Day; but this was simply because no visitor called to see him. He was, I believe, informed, in effect, that if he sent out letters contrary to the Rules his visits would be stopped for a time. There is nothing, so far as I can see, which calls for inquiry.
§ MR. REDMONDasked whether steps would be taken to make the Governors of the different prisons understand and act according to the Rules?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)In every case, with this one exception, the Rules have been acted upon and understood by the different Governors.