HC Deb 11 June 1901 vol 97 cc114-6
MR. DILLON

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been, directed to the fact that on 5th July an, article intended for insertion in this week's Sligo Champion was handed for transmission to the officer in charge by Mr. M'Hugh M.P.; whether he is aware that the article was stopped by the governor of the goal, although it contained nothing in reference to the matter in connection with which Mr. M'Hugh, was tried and convicted, and whether, in view of the pledges given, he will see that this article is allowed to pass and that similar interference with Mr. M'Hugh's liberty to write for his paper does not occur in future.

* MR. WYNDHAM

This article does not in my opinion come exactly within the wording of the condition upon which Mr. M'Hugh was granted the privileges accorded to Mr. Stead. The incident commented on is different from the incident on which Mr. M'Hugh commented in terms that made him amenable to the law. But the comment in this article seems to constitute a crime of the same kind and character. He was convicted of a criminal libel on the administration of justice. This article is also a criminal libel on the administration of justice. The governor of the prison, therefore, acted on the general principle that a prisoner cannot be permitted to repeat the crime of which he was convicted. In my opinion he acted rightly.

MR. DILLON

Then are we to understand that the governor of the prison, in such a delicate matter as a question of an article in a newspaper, is to set up as a press censor on the South African model?

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order! That does not arise.

MR. DILLON

I have not come to my question yet. What I am going to ask the right hon. Gentleman is whether the Irish Government are going to keep the pledge which they made to this House, or are they going to break it, by allowing the governor of Kilmainham Goal to act as a press censor?

* MR. WYNDHAM

The pledge given was that the privileges granted to Mr. Stead should also be accorded to Mr. M'Hugh. But the grant of privileges to first-class misdemeanants does not override the authority vested in the governor of the prison, and under the rules he is authorized to prevent any objectionable or illegal communications being sent out by prisoners. It is his duty to report the matter to the Prisons Board. He did so in this case, and, of course, pending their decision the forwarding of the article had to be suspended.

MR. DILLON

May I be permitted to ask whether it is not a fact that the privileges accorded to Mr. M'Hugh were not accorded under the prison rules, but were accorded under a pledge given by the Chief Secretary himself to the House of Commons?

* MR. WYNDHAM

I undertook that Mr. M'Hugh should have the privileges accorded to Mr. Stead. These privileges were accorded under the authority of special rules, which, as previously stated by me, have been laid before Parliament. But this does not justify either the governor of the prison or the Prisons Board in allowing Mr. M'Hugh to commit a breach of the law. The governor has the right to prevent the committal of any renewed act of illegality.

MR. BARTLEY

May I ask whether under these circumstances the right hon. Gentleman will not consider the advisability of withdrawing this privilege from Mr. M'Hugh?

MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN

Has the right hon. Gentleman any objection to reading to the House the portion of the article which was objected to?

[No answer was returned.]