HC Deb 01 December 1882 vol 275 cc489-90
MR. PARNELL

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he will lay upon the Table of the House, a Copy of the Instructions given to the police with regard to the way in which they are to execute their duties under the recent proclamation of the city of Dublin; whether persons arrested under this proclamation will be taken at once before the magistrates, and their offences adjudicated upon; whether they will be left in the cells all night; and, if so, whether clean cells will be provided for them, and this class of prisoners kept apart from the other ordinary night charges?

MR. TREVELYAN

The instructions given to the police as to carrying out the provisions of the 11th section of the Prevention of Crime Act are confidential and cannot be laid on the Table. The duty of a constable making an arrest in this case is to take the person forthwith before the nearest available Justice, who is to inquire into the circumstances of the case, and may either discharge the person at once, or, by committal or bail, secure his appearance before a summary Court, where the matter will be adjudicated upon. The persons so arrested will be dealt with in the ordinary way in which persons arrested in the Dublin Police District are dealt with. If they have to be detained the cells should certainly be clean; and I think it very reasonable that they should not be locked up with the other prisoners, if it can possibly be avoided.

MR. SEXTON

, in reference to the statement of the right hon. Gentleman, that persons arrested in this way are to be treated like any other prisoner taken into custody in the Dublin police district, wished to ask whether that meant that the Court of Summary Jurisdiction should deal with their cases the next day in conformity with the ordinary practice in Dublin; or whether they could be detained in custody for seven days?

MR. TREVELYAN

I gather from the telegram I have received from Dublin to-day that the meaning indicated by the hon. Gentleman in the first part of his Question is correct?

MR. HEALY

The right hon. Gentleman states that prisoners will be taken before the nearest available Justice. Does that include the Lord Mayor, who is a Justice of the City of Dublin?

[No reply was given.]