§ MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he can state if the young lady who complained of being molested by a police constable in Rostrevor, who stopped her in the street and insisted on giving her readings from the Bible, has been afforded an opportunity of identifying him; whether constable Walsh has denied that he is the constable concerned; and what steps have been taken by the authorities to ascertain the identity of the constable concerned.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe lady in question was interviewed by the district inspector. She stated she was unable to identify 1243 the constable who read to her a passage from a book, which she believed was a Bible. Constable Walsh denies that he ever gave, or offered to give, a Bible to any Roman Catholic lady. I am inquiring whether he ever read a portion of the Bible to a young lady. But short of this, however, it is not proposed to take further action in the matter, of which sufficient notice has already been taken.
§ MR. MACVEAGHI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state if the Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary has intimated to constable Walsh of Rostrevor his disapproval of the constable's conduct in attending in uniform certain open-air sectarian meetings in that town; whether the Inspector-General has expressed his disapproval of the constable's conduct in entering into religious controversies; and whether the Inspector-General has conveyed his disapproval of the constable's conduct in distributing sectarian newspapers to workmen in the town.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe constable attended in uniform an open-air meeting of the Church Army. The Inspector General informed him that it would be more prudent to attend outdoor religious services in plain clothes. He was also informed that he should avoid entering into religious controversy or distributing copies of the British Workman newspaper.
§ MR. MACVEAGHCan the right hon. Gentleman inform the House on whose authority he informed the House last week that this constable had not been censured at all?
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe intimation did not amount to censure, and in any case I think the hon. Member attributes undue importance to the matter.
§ MR. MACVEAGHI think I am entitled to ask the Question.
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! It is not in order, on the answer to one Question, to revert to the answer to a previous Question.
§ MR. MACVEAGHMay I point out that if I hand in notice of a Question 1244 dealing with a reply to a previous Question the Clerk at the Table at once says I am not entitled to put it?
§ * MR. SPEAKERAnd quite rightly.
§ MR. MACVEAGHCan I ask this——
§ * MR. SPEAKERI cannot advise the hon. Member what sort of Question will be in order. He must present it at the Table in the ordinary way, and objection will be taken if it is objectionable, and can, if necessary, be dealt with by me.
§ MR. MACVEAGHI do not want to argue the question, but——
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! The hon. Member had better proceed to his next Question.