§ MR. GRAYasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that, on the 30th May, one of the secretaries of the Royal University of Ireland refused (on the ground of desiring to consult the second Secretary) to permit a member of the Senate to inspect the Correspondence of the secretaries of the Royal University with the Under Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, which has been referred to in this House, and in the Letter of the President of Maynooth College to The Freeman's Journal of the 3rd May, as having neither been submitted to the Senate nor to the Standing Committee of the Senate; whether he is aware that the same secretary informed the member making the inquiry as to the Correspondence, that a secretary was appointed by the Lord Lieutenant and not by the Senate, and that, on the 31st May, the member of the Senate, on being informed that his application would be acceded to by the secretaries as a matter of favour, declined to inspect the Documents on such terms; whether it is competent for an official of the Senate to refuse on any pretext to permit a member of the governing body to inspect Documents referring to the University which may be in the custody of the officials; and, whether the secretaries of the Royal University are appointed by the Lord Lieutenant?
§ MR. TREVELYANI understand that the facts are as stated in the first 423 and second paragraphs of the Question With regard to the inquiry contained in the first paragraph, it remains with the Senate of the University, and not with the Government, to determine whether or not each individual member of their Body is entitled to have free access to all the Correspondence. The fact of the secretaries being appointed by the Lord Lieutenant does not, in the opinion of the Government, affect the question.