§ 45. Mr. BYRNEasked the Prime Minister if he is aware of the annoyance caused to Irishmen who were sent to Great Britain by their trade unions since the outbreak of war; if he is aware that Irishmen temporarily resident are being served with Army Form W 3,236 calling them up under the Military Service Act; and if he will cause instructions to be issued making it clear that Irishmen temporarily resident in Great Britain do not come under the Military Service Act?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe question whether a person is ordinarily resident in Great Britain within the meaning of the Military Service Act can, if disputed, be settled only by a Civil Court. Prima facie a man who has been resident and employed in Great Britain for a substantial period would be considered as having become ordinarily resident, and in that case he would receive a calling-up notice under the Military Service Act if he were otherwise liable for service.
§ Mr. SNOWDENIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Irish labourers are being invited to come over to this country and work on munitions, and, despite the fact that they are given an assurance that they will be exempt from military service, that only recently two of these men, brought over under these conditions, were fined for not having registered under the Act although ignorant of its existence, and next day received notices from the military authorities calling them up?
§ Mr. THOMASIs the hon. Gentleman also aware that certain railways have em- 1033 ployed these men and that other men in consequence are refusing to work and threatening to strike?
§ Mr. FORSTERI am not aware of either case, but, on the facts, as stated by the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Snowden), I am very much surprised to hear that men ordinarily resident in Ireland, on coming over to this country under the pledge to which he has referred, can be held to be anything but temporarily resident here.
§ Sir E. CARSONWill the hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of putting an end to all these differences by applying the Military Service Act to Ireland?
§ Mr. BYRNEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Labour Exchanges and trade unions of Ireland put up posters in Ireland giving guarantees to the men that if they would come to this country they would not be interfered with; and is he also aware that those guarantees were given by members of the Government to the trade unions?
§ Mr. FORSTERIt seems to me that the whole difficulty turns on the question, whether the man is, or is not, ordinarily resident in this country. If there is any dispute, it can be settled on reference to the Civil Courts.
§ Mr. BYRNEHas the attention of the hon. Gentleman been drawn to the wholesale arrests in Scotland last week of Irishmen who have only come over since the outbreak of the War?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Gentleman must give notice of that question.