HC Deb 27 February 1890 vol 341 cc1328-9
MR. CLANCY (Dublin County, N.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to the following letter, alleged to have been sent to the editor of the Carlow Nationalist in reply to an application made by that gentleman to the Commissioners of Irish Fisheries for advertisements for his newspaper:— Office of Irish Fisheries, Dublin Castle, 21st Feb. 1889. Sir,—I have received instructions to inform you, in reference to your letter of the 18th ultimo, that you are under a misapprehension in 'supposing that the advocacy of particular political opinions is any reason for giving or withholding Government advertisements, and that, if such advertisements have been withheld from the Nationalist and Leinster Times, it was solely because that paper continued to violate the law. I am, sir, your obedient servant, M. P. DOWLING. P. J. Conlan, Esq., Nationalist and Leinster Times, Carlow. Whether he will state the name of the official or Member of the Government who instructed this letter to be written; whether he will explain how the Carlow Nationalist continues to violate the law; and whether any instructions, and, if any, what instructions have been issued to the Government Departments in Ireland to inquire into the character of the contents of newspapers in that country before giving or refusing those newspapers public advertisements?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The letter mentioned was written by direction of the Government. The newspaper in question continues to violate the law by publishing the alleged proceedings of the local branch of the National League, which has been suppressed in that district as an unlawful Association. Government advertisements are not given to any newspaper which violates the law. Departments are so instructed.

MR. CLANCY

The right hon. Gentleman has not answered any of the questions I put to him. Have any instructions been issued by the Government on this subject?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I thought I had answered the hon. Gentleman's questions when I stated that I was responsible for the action of the Government. I stated that the Carlow Nationalist had offended against the law by reporting the proceedings of a suppressed meeting.

MR. CLANCY

If the Carlow Nationalist violated the law, why has it not been prosecuted?

MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)

As this is a matter which occurred about a year ago, may I ask how long the official boycotting of an Irish newspaper is to continue, and by whose authority this course of action has boon decided upon?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

Instead of being a year ago the last offence was committed on the 8th of February.

MR. SEXTON

This year?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I have not inquired into the facts; but if the hon. Gentleman says there is any doubt I will do so.

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