§ MR. LUNDON (Limerick, E)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, is he aware that, from time to time, attacks of destructive character have been made by boys on the Roman Catholic Church, known as St. George's Cathedral, abutting on the Westminster Bridge Road and Lambeth Road; that, on one occasion, a window, one of Pugin's earliest paintings, was broken through, and later on other windows, although wire-protected; and, seeing that the clergyman in charge some time since communicated on the subject with the Chief Commissioner of Police with little result, and that when some of the delinquents were brought before the Magistrates charged with the breaking into the schools attached, they were dismissed with a caution, will he take measures to prevent a repetition of the acts complained of.
§ MR. RITCHIEIt does not appear that the police have received any complaints of windows having been broken since 1899, nor are they aware that the window particularly referred to has been broken. It is exceedingly difficult for them to prevent a certain amount of damage being done in places where there are a large number of children about, or to treat the children who do such damage as criminals.
§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E)Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that no such damage occurs to Protestant Churches in Catholic Ireland?
§ MR. GILHOOLY (County Cork, W.)Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the letter in The Times from Canon Keating full of complaints on this matter?
§ MR. RITCHIEI have seen it.