§ MR. SEXTONI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is by his authority that letters addressed to the hon. Member for Cork City, including letters addressed to him by his mother, Mrs. Parnell, from America, are opened in the post office; and, if so, whether this is done by a general warrant, or by a particular order for each letter opened; whether it was by his authority that a letter addressed to the Lord Mayor of Dublin by the President of the United States was recently opened in the post office; and, whether this system of opening letters is to be further continued; and, 1351 if so, whether he will enable persons whose letters are opened in the post office to protect themselves by being present, either in person or by deputy, at the opening in the post office of letters addressed to or by them?
§ MR. MATTHEWSI beg leave to state, in reply to the right hon. Member, that I have no reason to suppose that any letters addressed to the hon. Member for Cork have been opened in the post office, and I have given no authority for such letters to be opened. The tame answer applies to the alleged opening of a letter addressed to the Lord Mayor of Dublin by the President of the United States; but I have consulted the Postmaster General, who informs me that in this case he is making inquiry. There is no system of opening the letters as suggested in the question.
§ MR. SEXTONIf the right hon. Gentleman has ceased to exercise his functions are we to understand that if letters have been opened it was without official authority?
§ MR. MATTHEWSIf opened they have been opened without any authority from the Home Office, or, as far as I am aware, from any other Government Department in this country.
§ MR. SEXTONIs there any authority to direct the opening of letters but the Home Secretary?
§ MR. MATTHEWSIn this country only the Secretary of State.
§ MR. SEXTONBut in Ireland?
§ No answer.