HC Deb 13 July 1893 vol 14 cc1459-61
MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has received a copy of a resolution, passed unanimously by the Grand Jury of the County Clare at the recent Assizes, in which it is stated that they are of opinion that many crimes of a most serious nature are minimised by being merely described under the head of intimidation which to their personal knowledge belong to a far more serious class; and if he can state whether there are any grounds for this grave accusation against the executive authority in Clare?

MR. J. MORLEY

I have seen the resolution referred to, and have also read the observations on the same subject of the learned Judge in his address to the Grand Jury at the opening of the Clare Assizes. The Inspector General informs me that each of the cases to which attention was drawn by the Judge was committed solely for the purpose of intimidation, and that although the offenders might, no doubt, be convicted under the Whiteboy Act, yet Whiteboy offences have never been distinguished separately in the Outrage Returns; and the cases therefore, in accordance with precedent, were placed under the heading which appeared to the Inspector General to approach most closely the actual offence committed. If it appeared that there had been any intention to do actual bodily harm the cases would have been differently recorded. The headings of the Outrage Return are doubtless in some respects unsatisfactory; but there has always been a strong objection to make any change in the classification, as such would tend to destroy comparison with Returns for previous years. I wish to state, once for all, for the information both of Judges and Members of this House, that the classification of offences in Ireland is performed by the same persons who have performed this duty for many years past, and precisely on the same principles.

MR. T. W. RUSSELL

May I ask how, under these circumstances, it came about that the attempt to murder Mr. Blood was put down as an intimidatory offence?

MR. J. MORLEY

That is a very natural question, and the answer is equally natural. In Mr. Blood's case the shots were fired at such a distance that, in the opinion of the police who were escorting him, they could not possibly have done any personal injury; and therefore the case was reported, according to the principle of classification, as intimidation.

MR. MACARTNEY

At what dis-stance were the shots fired?

MR. J. MORLEY

That I cannot answer without notice.

MR. W. REDMOND

May I ask whether the strange fact has been brought to the notice of the right hon. Gentleman that the Grand Jurors of the County of Clare have only adopted the system of finding fault with the conduct of the Returns of the police since the present Government came into power?

MR. SEXTON (Kerry, N.)

I want this made perfectly clear. Is it a fact that the Government have not interfered and are not responsible in any way for the present system of classification? How long has that system been in operation?

MR. J. MORLEY

I am afraid I cannot say how long the system of classification has been at work, but it has been at work for a great number of years. The two gentlemen in Dublin who perform the task now are the same two gentlemen who have performed it for at least the last 10 or 12 years.