HC Deb 28 July 1896 vol 43 cc809-10
MR. THOMAS B. CURRAN (Donegal, N.)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, if serious complaints by Miss A. Kenny respecting the treatment of postal matter at Castlecomer have been acknowledged to be well founded by the Department; if he will explain how they arose, and what notice has been taken of the matter; and has anything been done to prevent a recurrence of such complaints?

* MR. HANBURY

The facts of the case referred to in the hon. Member's Question are as follows: In March 1895 Miss A. Kenny, of Castlecomer, wrote to the Secretary of the Post Office in Dublin complaining that a letter addressed to her had been tampered with. Inquiry was at once set on foot; but, by some unfortunate accident, the official papers on the subject, together with the envelope of the letter said to have been tampered with, were lost, and Miss Kenny's complaint remained unanswered. On Miss Kenny renewing her application, the Secretary of the Post Office in Dublin placed the matter in the hands of an experienced officer for special investigation, but he could find no reason for supposing that the letter had been tampered with in the post. The officer who made the investigation saw Miss Kenny personally and explained the whole case, as he then supposed, to her satisfaction. The Postmaster General believes that there is no ground for thinking that postal packets are improperly treated at Castlecomer.