§ MR. WILLIAM O'BRIEN (Cork)I beg to ask the Prime Minister whether he will receive the joint deputation, representing the landowners and tenants of the South of Ireland, which was appointed at the recent meeting in Cork to lay before the Ministry their views as to the threatened deadlock in land purchase.
§ MR. ASQUITHI have been invited to receive the deputation mentioned in the Question, but after giving the 492 request my best consideration, I have come to the conclusion that no useful purpose could be served by my doing so. The Government are already acquainted with the views of the persons who would compose the deputation, and we shall be prepared within a very short time to state to the House our proposals, which can then be advantageously considered on their merits. I need not say that we shall always be glad to receive and consider any representations that may be offered to us by hon. Gentlemen opposite on matters like this which specially affect Irish interests.
§ MR. WILLIAM O'BRIENasked the Prime Minister whether he could name any precedent for this refusal to give even a hearing to a deputation in the highest degree representative of all parties and all classes in the south of Ireland upon a question of the most vital moment to the future of that country. Did the right hon. Gentleman seriously suggest that speeches delivered at a public meeting were to be accepted in lieu of the detailed and reasoned arguments the deputation were prepared to submit to him?
§ MR. ASQUITHI am sorry to say that in the existing practice and in the state of expectation which at present prevails, I should spend the whole of my time receiving deputations if I were to accede to every request made. I do not in the least undervalue the importance or representative character of the deputation referred to, but I can assure the hon. Member that we are fully in possession of their views and are giving them the most careful and respectful consideration.
§ MR. WILLIAM O'BRIENasked the right hon. Gentleman to reconsider his decision in view of the fact that within two or three weeks the operations of this Act practically came to an end, and that the prospects of peace in Ireland would come to an end with it; also whether in view of the declarations of all the Liberal leaders in 1903, published that morning, the right hon. Gentleman would give some reasonable facilities for discussing the question before the Ministry came very likely to a hostile decision upon it? 493 Would the right hon. Gentleman give a couple of hours for the discussion?
§ MR. ASQUITHNo, Sir; the Government will state their proposals within a short time, and then, no doubt, there will be opportunities for subsequent discussion; but I cannot anticipate.
§ MR. WILLIAM O'BRIENI can only give notice that if these proposals are of a nature to smash the agreement of 1903, I for one, will throw the responsibility on those who propose them.
§ MR. WALTER LONGCan the right hon. Gentleman give us any idea of the time when he will be able to make the statement? There is very great anxiety throughout the whole of Ireland as to this very urgent question.
§ MR. ASQUITHThe statement will not be made by me in any case, but by the Chancellor of the Exchequer or by the Chief Secretary. There will be, however, no avoidable delay. If the right hon. Gentleman will put down a question for Monday I will see about it.
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)asked whether the Prime Minister had not consented to receive that day a deputation from the Scottish National and Denominational Temperance Associations, and whether the interests involved there were not much smaller than in the Irish question.
§ MR. ASQUITHYes, I did receive a deputation to-day from Scotland, but I cannot assent to my hon. friend's description of it.