§ MR. MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland on what grounds was permission refused to the honourable Member for South Donegal to peruse, for the purposes of historic research, the documents in the Record Tower of Dublin Castle, with reference to the spies and informers of the period of the Insurrection of 1798 and the Union of 1800, and more especially the memoranda of Leonard MacNally and 1286 the briefs held by him in defending the Irish political prisoners of that period when he was hired by the Irish Government to betray the secrets of his clients and to ensure their conviction for high treason; whether he is aware that the right honourable junior Member for Dublin University had permission to inspect these documents, when writing the seventh and eighth volumes of his History of England in the Eighteenth Century; and that a similar permission was given in 1897 to Mr. Cæsar Falkner, now an assistant Land Commissioner, for the writing of a magazine article at a time when he was an officer of an Irish Unionist Association; and why privileges extended to Unionist writers have not been similarly granted to the honourable Member for South Donegal?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe honourable Member asked for permission to see two documents specifically named by him. This permission was granted. He further asked for a general permission "for the perusal of State Papers till the most recent date up to which in any case permission has been given to see such documents." This general permission was refused, and, I think, properly so. Permission was not refused to the honourable Member to inspect the documents referred to in the first paragraph of this question. As a matter of fact he has never applied for such permission. As regards the second paragraph, it is true that my honourable Friend the Member for Dublin University and Mr. Falkner obtained permission to consult certain papers, but their applications were for definite periods and special subjects. No such general order as that sought by the honourable Member has been authorised in the case of any applicant.
§ MR. MACNEILLDo I understand that if I ask politely I can see these papers?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURAny application the honourable Gentleman makes will be considered.
§ MR. MACNEILLIs the right honourable Gentleman aware I sent, on the 6th of December, a note—which appeared in the Dublin papers—bitterly 1287 complaining that I was not allowed to see these documents while Unionist Members were?
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order!