HC Deb 01 August 1889 vol 339 cc64-6
MR. SHAW LEFEVRE (Bradford, Central)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Rev. P. Costelloe, the newly-appointed parish priest of Woodford, Galway, has recently addressed a letter to him, stating that he had recently been authorised by the tenants of the Clanricarde estate to offer to Lord Clanricarde, either to purchase their holdings on reasonable terms, or to refer the matters in dispute to arbitration, or to agree to reasonable terms, conditional upon the re-instalment of the seventy evicted tenants upon the same terms; and that Lord Clanricarde had refused the offer, and was making great preparations for the wholesale eviction of the tenants; whether Mr. Costelloe, under these circumstances, requested the Government to send down to the district an impartial Commissioner for the purpose of hearing both sides and presenting a Report on the whole ease; and in the meantime to suspend supporting the evictions with the forces of the Crown; and, whether a refusal was made by the Government to this request; and, if so, whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the letter of Father Costelloe, and his reply to it, and also any correspondence which has passed between himself and Dr. Healy, the coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese, on the same subject, with reference to the pending evictions on the Portumna district of the Clanricarde property?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The right hon. Gentleman will not object to my saying, in accordance with an answer I previously gave on the subject of the last paragraph of the question, that I must with all respect decline to gratify his curiosity with regard to my private correspondence.

MR. SHAW LEFEVRE

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer the first part of the question, which has reference to correspondence not of a private nature?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The letter was addressed to me in my private capacity, and I decline to make it public.

MR. SHAW LEFEVRE

I understand that the letter was addressed to the right hon. Gentleman in his public capacity, and I should like to know whether a Minister can decline to publicly answer a letter written to him in his public capacity?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

Yes, Sir; I have a right to answer privately any letter addressed to me in any way I like.

MR. SHAW LEFEVRE

I shall draw attention to the matter on the Estimates.