HC Deb 28 March 1884 vol 286 cc1013-5
MR. O'BRIEN

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the resolutions of the Council of Queen's College, Cork, of 18th March, sentencing students to rustication from College, deprivation of scholarships, and other punishments for holding a meeting outside the College, and without the permission of the Council, to call attention to the expenditure of the public endowments enjoyed by the Queen's College; whether Mr. J. T. Lynch was sentenced to a long term of rustication on suspicion of having been Chairman of such private meeting of Students, without being afforded any opportunity of hearing or rebutting the evidence against him; whether it has been brought to his attention that Mr. E. R. Hennessy, senior scholar in chemistry, and Messrs. Daniel O'Callaghan and John Kearney, junior scholars in medicine, were punished, the former by forfeiture of his scholarship, and the latter by fines of £2 each, on the ground that— On being questioned by the Council on the subject of the meeting, and after being warned by the Council that, as scholars, they were bound by the statutes to assist the Council in maintaining discipline in the College, they refused to give the Council the benefit of the information they possessed; what portion of the College statutes prohibits students from participating in the discussion of the question of University Education in Ireland; does the detection of private meetings held with that object outside the precincts of the College form part of the obligation of scholars to assist the Council in maintaining the internal discipline of the College; if so, under what provision; are scholars bound under pain of forfeiting their scholarships to reveal what passed among their fellow-students at such private meeting; upon what grounds did the Council conclude that the gentlemen in question had information to give; and, whether a special Visitation will be ordered for the purpose of investigating the present relations between the College Council and the Students?

MR. TREYELYAN

Sir, I am aware that circumstances have occurred which have led to the punishment of certain students of the Queen's College, Cork. It is not the province of the Government to interfere in matters of College discipline. The College Statutes provide the manner in which such matters can be dealt with. The students who consider themselves aggrieved have applied, under the provisions of the Statutes, for an extraordinary visitation, and the matter will, therefore, be before the Court of Visitors. I may say that, at the time when I answered a previous Question on this subject, I was not aware that the students had appealed against the decision of the authorities.

MR. GRAY

When the right hon. Gentleman stated on a previous day that these students had been guilty of "insubordination," was he aware that after the visitation he would be called upon to pronounce an opinion on their conduct?

MR. TREVELYAN

As I have already stated, I was not then aware they had appealed. As to what exactly was floating in my mind as to my own position with regard to the matter, I am not quite certain.

MR. O'BRIEN

Will the right hon. Gentleman have any objection to make the suggestion that these gentlemen be permitted to attend their lectures pending the result of their appeal. Otherwise, oven if successful in their appeal, they would lose a year on account of insufficient attendance?

MR. TREVELYAN

These matters are treated according to some regular College system. I will ascertain what is going on.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

In case the appeal is successful, will the gentlemen concerned be allowed credit for the lectures they are prevented from attending?

[No reply.]