§ MR. WADDY (Lincolnshire, Brigg)I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman the First Lord of the Treasury a Question of which I have given him very short private Notice; and that is, whether he has seen in The Star and other evening newspapers a statement to the effect that the Government had decided on founding and endowing a Catholic College in Ireland; whether that statement is true; whether there have been any negotiations that could reasonably give rise to such a report; and what has been the tone of such negotiations, if any? It is right I should say that I regret that there has not been time to give longer Notice than I have been able to give; but I think the right hon. Gentleman will agree with me that if the answer is in the negative the sooner it is given the better.
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)The hon. Gentleman gave me Notice of this Question a few minutes ago. I am sorry to say that I have not yet had an opportunity of seeing the evening papers. There is no truth in the statement that Her Majesty's Government has decided to found or endow a Roman Catholic College in Ireland, and there have been no negotiations which could reasonably give rise to such a report.