§ MR. D. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what steps have been taken to secure that the court house in Newbliss, county Monaghan, should not be used as an Orange Lodge, in accordance with his promise in the last Session of Parliament?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURNo promise was given by me of the kind stated in the Question. What I did undertake was to refer the matter to the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor drew the attention of the magistrates to the occupation on the 13th July last of the Justices' room at Newbliss by a number of members of Orange lodges. The Magistrates replied that it was most imprudent and objectionable that a building, portion of which is used as a court house, should have been utilised for a political demonstration. The Magistrates further pointed out that the building in question is private property, one room only being rented by the Grand Jury as a public justice room under the provisions of Section 8 of the Petty Sessions Act. I have no power to take further action in the matter.