§ MR. JAMES O'KELLY (Roscommon, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will state the number of police investigating the alleged outrage near Boyle, county of Roscommon, on the 11th July, in the course of which it is alleged that serious fighting with firearms took place and lasted for three hours, the alleged result being that one man was wounded and a mansion wrecked; whether he has yet received any report in reference to this alleged outrage from the police; and, if so, whether he will communicate this report to the House.
§ MR. WALTER LONGI refer to the reply which I gave yesterday† to the Question addressed to me by the hon. Member for South Antrim. The reply to the last inquiry is in the negative.
§ MR. HAYDEN (Roscommon, S.)Does the right hon. Gentleman refuse to give the particulars of the report he has received from the police?
† See page 1173.
§ MR. WALTER LONGThe hon. Member knows perfectly well I have repeatedly stated that my Answers are based on the police reports.
§ MR. HAYDENDoes the report contain nothing beyond what the right hon. Gentleman said yesterday. The right hon. Gentleman has not yet answered the Question how many police have been engaged in investigating this matter from the beginning up to the present.
§ MR. WALTER LONGI have said that out of forty policemen in the whole district about five were engaged in this particular work. I also said that they had arrived at the conclusion that there was no foundation for the statement that an outrage had taken place. I do not think the hon. Member is entitled to ask me for more information or for a more explicit declaration.
MR, HAYDENWell, I think I am. Were the windows that were broken broken from the inside or outside of the house? Was not a domestic quarrel the foundation for this slander on a whole district? Does the police report deal with these matters?
§ MR. WALTER LONGNo, Sir, it does not, and I said yesterday there was no evidence of any attack having been made on this particular house. I could not possibly say whether the windows were broken from inside or outside. At the very outset I told the House the police believed there was no second party in the matter. I have no precise information as to whether this disturbance was due to a domestic quarrel.
§ MR. HAYDENWill the right hon. Gentleman answer this Question—Why has it taken the police three weeks to find out that the statement in the newspapers was false?
§ * MR. SPEAKERThat Question hardly arises out of the one on the Paper.
§ MR. HAYDENIt is one of the series of Questions we have been pressing.
§ * MR SPEAKERThe hon. Member must give notice of it.
§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)Did the police report inform the right hon. Gentleman what newspaper office at Boyle concocted this libel and sold it to the Press Association? I am not alleging anything against the Press Association. I know they are only anxious to put the truth before the public.
§ * MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is not entitled to make a speech.
§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIENWell, does the report give that information?
§ MR. WALTER LONGNo, Sir. I do not think it does.
§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIENIf another opportunity arises I may be able to give the right hon. Gentleman the information.
§ MR. CULLINANHow is it that The Times and other papers which published the original libel have not a word to say now about the contradiction?
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! That is not a proper Question to ask.