HC Deb 06 May 1901 vol 93 cc777-9
MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will inquire if any Minute or record of any sort was kept of the privileges allowed by the visiting justices to Messrs. Stead and Yates when in prison to enable them to edit and conduct their respective newspapers, and whether he will state exactly what the privileges were, or consent to lay upon the Table of the House copies of the orders made by the visiting justices. In putting the question I wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he has received from Mr. Stead a letter in which he says that from the time he was a prisoner—

*MR. SPEAKER

Order, order! The hon. Member knows that if this matter was brought to the Table it would not be allowed to be put on the Table.

MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN

Might I ask the Home Secretary if he received a letter from Mr. Stead flatly contradicting the statement he made in the House? I do not mean to say that the right hon. Gentleman wilfully misled the House, but I want to know who led him to make the statement that is now contradicted by Mr. Stead.

*MR. RITCHIE

Yes, Sir. Mr. Stead is the best judge of whether he could effectively conduct and edit a newspaper under the restrictions imposed upon him in prison, and I have nothing to amend in the answer I gave to the former question. In reply to the question on the Paper I have to say that it would not be in accordance with practice to lay on the Table a copy of the Minutes of the Visiting Committee, but I may say that by permission of the Committee Mr. Stead was allowed to receive visits from Mr. Stout and Mr. Cook, of the Pall Mall Gazette, three times in each week, and to write and receive letters, but not to make any comments on the discipline and arrangements of the prison for publication. Mr. Stead had also to come under an undertaking not to write on the subject which led to his imprisonment. Mr. Yates was allowed to receive newspapers and books, and to write and receive letters.

*MR. DELANY

Will the right hon. Gentleman inform the House whether Mr. M'Hugh is being treated differently because he is imprisoned by the descendant of Lord Edward Fitzgerald.

MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN

I shall be obliged to again call attention to the answer of the right hon. Gentleman, but arising out of it may I ask the Chief Secretary—

*MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

Arising out of the reply may I ask the Chief Secretary whether he will permit Mr. M'Hugh—

*MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!

MR. FLAVIN

On a point of order, am I not entitled to ask a supplementary question which arises directly out of the reply of the Home Secretary?

*MR. SPEAKER

That is not a point of order.

MR. FLAVIN

I will put down a question on the matter.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

I beg to ask whether I am not within my right in giving notice now that I will ask the Chief Secretary a question at the end of questions.

*MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member knows that he can ask a question.

MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN

In the exercise of my right I have asked the Home Secretary a question. I received a flat contradiction, but the right hon. Gentleman has now been contradicted by the person concerned. I claim that I am therefore entitled to know on whose instructions the right hon. Gentleman gave the reply he did.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in view of the statement made by the Home Secretary in reference to the treatment of Mr. Stead, he would consider the advisability of giving at least similar facilities to Mr. M'Hugh.

MR. WYNDHAM

said he was unable to say whether Mr. M'Hugh did not enjoy all the privileges extended to Mr. Stead. All Mr. M'Hugh's requests were acceded to except one, and he did not know whether that refusal constituted an inferiority in his position to that occupied by Mr. Stead.