HC Deb 10 April 1907 vol 172 cc224-6
MR. LONSDALE

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether Edward Layng has-yielded up his holding on the Gore-Booth estate, Streamstown, as ordered by the Mullinabreena branch of the United Irish League; and whether the Estates Commissioners obeyed the demand of the same authority to send an official to take possession of the holding and pay Edward Layng the sum of £190 as agreed upon.

MR. BIRRELL

The Estates Commissioners have no information as to the communications, if any, which may have passed between Edward Layng and the local branch of the United Irish League, nor have the Commissioners acted in the matter in obedience to any demand of that organisation. The Commissioners, at the desire of all the parties, including the landlord, endeavoured to effect an amicable settlement of the case and to reinstate John Quinn, the evicted tenant, and in this they have succeeded. Layng has been paid a sum of £190 as compensation for surrendering the holding.

MR. LONSDALE

Has the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been called to a paragraph in the Sligo Champion in which it is stated that the following resolutions were unanimously passed at a meeting of the Mullinabreena branch of the United Irish League—"That with reference to the evicted holding of John Quinn on the Gore-Booth estate, Streamstown, county Sligo, we call on the Estates Commissioners to send an official here to take up possession of the evicted holding and pay the present occupier (Edward Layng) the sum of £190 in cash as already agreed upon." ''That having the correspondence in reference to re-instatement of John Quinn before us, and knowing as we do the unreliability of Edward Layng's word, we hereby declare that nothing but the immediate surrender of John Quinn's holding by Edward Layng will satisfy this League, and as the Estates Commissioners are quite willing to pay him the £190 compensation any day he gives up possession we demand that Mr. Layng give up possession on the 1st March, and we call on the people to take note of this resolution."

MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)

I rise to order. If I am not mistaken it has been the practice at the Table to refuse to allow Questions to be put on the Paper asking if a Minister's attention has been directed to a statement in a newspaper, and then quoting that statement. Is it not equally out of order to quote newspaper statements in like manner in a supplementary Question?

MR. LONSDALE

My Question is if the right hon. Gentleman's attention has been directed to an order issued by the United Irish League.

*MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member was quoting from a newspaper, and newspaper quotations are not allowed to appear in Questions on the Paper; presumably, therefore, they are not in order in supplementary Questions.

MR. LONSDALE

But this resolution was passed by the branch.

*MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member began by asking if the attention of the right hon. Gentleman had been directed to a statement in a newspaper, which he proceeded to read. That is not in order.

MR. T. L. CORBETT (Down, N.)

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that one of his colleagues has joined the United Irish League?

*MR. SPEAKER

That does not arise out of the Question.