§ MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can explain why a letter written on 29th October by William Williams, a prisoner in Pentonville Prison, was not delivered to his friends until 16th November; whether he is aware that as a consequence Williams' friends were kept in entire ignorance of his whereabouts and suffered much anxiety, whilst the Metropolitan Police force were searching for him all over London; and whether he proposes to take any action to punish those responsible for keeping back the letter, and will issue regulations to prevent the recurrence of such an incident.
§ MR. GLADSTONEThe notice to the prisoner's friends was sent on the 29th of October to the address given by the prisoner, but it was returned on the 3rd of October marked "Address not known," and the prisoner was so informed. On November the 13th he applied to re-address the letter, and this was immediately done. The delay was due to the prisoner's mistake, and the prison officials are in no way responsible for it. The hon. Member has given me private notice of a further Question relating to the same case, and in reply to that, perhaps I may be allowed to say now that I am making inquiries into the matter.