§ MR. O'KELLYasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Is it a fact that Major Traill, R.M. in a case heard at Trim Petty Sessions in February last, in which the Inland Revenue, through Mr. M'Donagh, supervisor, Drogheda, prosecuted a man for carrying arms without a licence, and to which charge the man pleaded guilty, illegally dismissed the prisoner, and that, when Mr. M'Donagh remonstrated with Major Traill on his action, Major Traill ordered the police to arrest the supervisor and remove him out of Court; whether the supervisor was kept in custody in the hall of the Court House before the public on a market day, and afterwards liberated without any charge being made against him; whether it is true that, on appeal by the Inland Revenue, Major Traill's decision in the case was reversed; and, whether an application has been made by Supervisor M'Donagh to the Lord Lieutenant for permission to bring a civil action against Major Traill for illegal arrest, and whether such permission has been granted to him; and, if not, on what grounds is Mr. M'Donagh debarred from exercising his Constitutional right?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThe statements in the first paragraph of the Question are substantially correct. There is a conflict of testimony on the point whether the Supervisor was kept in custody. Major Traill's decision was reversed on appeal. Under all the circumstances, the Lord Lieutenant thought it right to express to Major Traill his disapproval of his conduct on the occasion. No application has been made to the Lord Lieutenant by Mr. M'Donagh for permission to bring a civil action. I am informed he made some such application to the Board of Inland Revenue, but they expressed an opinion that, having regard to the disapproval of Major Traill's conduct expressed by the Lord Lieutenant, the matter should be allowed to drop.