HC Deb 13 September 1887 vol 321 cc478-9
MR. BYRON REED (Bradford, E.)

asked Mr. Attorney General, Whether it is customary, and, if customary, whether it is proper, for police officers who are in charge of prisoners arrested under magisterial warrant to give the said prisoners facilities for addressing public meetings whilst they are in custody, and for otherwise conducting themselves as though no legal restraint had been put upon them?

DR. TANNER (Cork Co., Mid)

Before that Question is answered, Mr. Speaker, I beg to call attention to its terms, and to ask your opinion whether it is right for the words "whether it is proper" to appear in the Question? I ask that with a certain amount of confidence, in consequence of those words having, on a recent occasion, been struck out of a Question I addressed to the House.

MR. SPEAKER

I see no harm in the Question, nor anything that is un-Parliamentary or improper in it.

DR. TANNER

The words were struck out in my case, Sir.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER) () Isle of Wight

It is not customary, and is, in my opinion, highly improper, for police officers who are in charge of prisoners arrested under warrant to give the prisoners facilities for addressing public or any meetings while they are in custody, or for conducting themselves as though no legal restraint had been put upon them.

MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member for Mid Cork (Dr. Tanner) complains that certain words were struck out of a Question of his. Of course, that all depends upon what the context was.

DR. TANNER

They were struck out in consequence of being an expression of opinion.