§ MR. JOHN O'DONNELL (Mayo, S.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether an attempt was recently made by the employees of Lord Oranmore to evict a man named 912 William Carey, Ballindine, and part of the furniture was removed by these persons; whether on being asked by some neighbours for their legal authority to evict Carey they refused to show any, and were cautioned as to the illegality of the proceedings, and then withdrew from the place; and, if so, whether he will have instructions issued with a view to prosecuting the parties who attacked the house of this man.
§ MR. JOHN O'DONNELLTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether a police sergeant and two constables attended an attempted eviction of a tenant named Carey, on the estate of Lord Oranmore, in Ballindine, county Mayo; if so, by whose instructions were they sent there; did they take any steps to ascertain whether the persons who were engaged in the work had the necessary legal authority for doing so; and, if not, why did they show such negligence in the discharge of their duty in connection with a matter that meant so much to the victims.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) On 24th February Lord Oranmore's steward and other employees proceeded to evict a Mrs. Hughes and her lodger, William Carey, at Ballindine. They removed Mrs. Hughes' property from the house, but Carey and his son prevented the removal of their own property. The steward called on the police to assist him in removing the Careys, but as no warrant or decree was produced the police declined to assist. The steward thereupon abandoned the proceedings, and replaced Mrs. Hughes' effects in the house. The police attended, by direction of the district inspector, for the purpose of preserving the peace. This was the only duty which they had to perform in connection with the proceedings, and they properly confined themselves to it. If the action of the steward was illegal, the ordinary legal remedies are open to the aggrieved persons. The case is not one for proceedings by the police.