§ MR. J. LLOYD MORGAN (Carmarthen, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of 1631 State for the Home Department, whether, in the cases submitted to him by the Royal Commissioners on Land in Wales of the punishment of witnesses, he caused special inquiries to be made in the locality where the alleged offences were committed; and whether he will state the number of oases in which such inquiries were made, by whom the inquiries were conducted, and the nature of the inquiries?
§ SIR MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEYI can add little to the information which I gave to the hon. Member when he raised the question of the intimidation of witnesses who gave evidence before the Welsh Land Commission on the Vote on Account. Three cases were brought to my notice by the Commissioners, and the Treasury Solicitor, to whom I referred them, was of opinion that on the evidence before him proceedings could not be taken with any chance of success. In one case, however, as I informed the House, further inquiry seemed to me to be desirable with a view to see whether further evidence might be forthcoming which would justify proceedings, and inquiry was accordingly made on the spot, at ray request, by the Treasury Solicitor's Agent. In the result I was advised both by the Treasury Solicitor and by the Attorney-General, to whom the Agent's Report was referred for consideration, that the evidence did not furnish sufficient ground for a prosecution.
§ MR. LLOYD MORGANasked whether the inquiries which were made on the spot were made by someone who resided at or near the place, or who was instructed by the Home Office or the Treasury?
§ MR. W. REES DAVIES (Pembrokeshire)asked who was the Agent of the Treasury Solicitor?
§ SIR MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEYsaid the Agent was a solicitor sent down by the Treasury Solicitors and the Crown to make inquiry into the allegations.