HC Deb 31 July 1890 vol 347 cc1365-6
MR. SUMMERS

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether His Holiness the Pope, in the farewell audience granted to Sir Lintorn Simmons on the affairs of Malta, said that— Negotiations conducted in this way between the Holy See and Her Majesty's Government would be beneficial as regards the people of Malta, but might also be usefully extended to other parts of the Empire where Catholic interests were of great importance; and whether, in accordance with the suggestion of His Holiness, it is the intention of the Government to send special Missions to the Vatican to discuss questions of administration and legislation affecting Catholics in other portions of the British Empire besides Malta?

* MR. W. H. SMITH

This is a Departmental question, and had better be answered by the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In the case of purely Departmental questions (of which there are several on the Paper addressed to me) it would be better that they should be addressed to the person responsible, who would be able to give information which I cannot give myself.

* SIR J. FERGUSSON

The passage is correctly quoted from Sir Lintorn Simmons's Despatch of April 7, reporting his final audience to the Pope, which was presented to the House in Miscellaneous No. 1. Her Majesty's Government do not at present contemplate sending any further Mission to the Vatican.