HC Deb 30 October 1882 vol 274 cc380-1
MR. HEALY

asked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, Whether he has any objection to furnish a Return giving the number of Catholics on the Dublin City and County Panels for 1882; the number of persons sworn at the late Special Commissions; how many of these were Catholics, distinguishing the cases upon which they were empannelled; the number of Catholics ordered by the Crown to stand by; the names of the cases at which they were so ordered; and the number of Protestants ordered to stand by, and the cases in which the order was given?

The ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)

Sir, I should have no objection whatever to furnish the Return which the hon. Member asks for if it were in my power to do so; but, except as to the actual number of persons sworn, there is no official record, nor have I any personal knowledge of the religion of any of these gentlemen.

MR. HEALY

May I ask the right hon. and learned Gentleman who it was that supplied the Prime Minister with the information with which he furnished the House last Friday?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)

I am not aware, Sir. I did not; and I have to repeat that there is no official record, nor any means that I know of getting this information.

MR. HEALY

I shall put my Question to the Prime Minister on an early day, and I may take this opportunity of expressing my satisfaction that he is better acquainted with what goes on in Ireland than the Irish officials.

MR. SEXTON

Will the Attorney General for Ireland gives us the religion of the jurors in the case of Hynes?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)

It is not one second since I informed the hon. Member that there is no official record of this information, and no means of obtaining one.

MR. PARNELL

Might I ask the Attorney General for Ireland whether he could not get the information from the Census Office?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)

No, Sir. The information in the Census Office is confidential; and, if my information serves me right, it is a penal offence to disclose it.