HC Deb 16 April 1907 vol 172 cc778-9
MR. DELANY (Queen's County, Ossory)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that, soon after the appointment of Mr. Henry Williams as Secretary to the Board of Works, Dublin, a letter was received from the Civil Service Commissioners and opened in the Registry to the effect that the Civil Service Commissioners made no inquiry into the religion of clerks appointed after open competition to Government Departments, and considering that this was not a circular letter, and must have been a reply to a special request made by the Board of Works to have no Roman Catholics appointed to the office, will he cause inquiry to be made from the Board of Works who was responsible for approaching the Civil Service Commissioners on this matter; and, in view of the general belief in the department that it was the Secretary who was guilty of this action, unprecedented in the history of the Civil Service, will he have all the papers in connection with this matter laid before the House of Commons at an early date.

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. RUNCIMAN,) Dewsbury

If the hon. Member will supply me with the evidence on which he has decided to make a charge of this character, I will have it carefully investigated.