§ 35. Mr. GINNELLasked the Home Secretary whether he is yet in a position to state the date and any other particulars of the impending release of the Irish political prisoners now at Lewes and Aylesbury under sentences of secret court-martial; and whether there will be any exception to the general delivery?
§ Sir G. CAVEI have no statement to make on this subject.
§ Mr. BYRNE(by Private Notice) asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that a number of Irish prisoners have been removed from Lewes Prison, handcuffed and chained in batches of five; if he will state where they have been sent, what are their conditions, and if they are in solitary confinement; if he will state the quality and quantity of food supplied; if his attention has been drawn to a breaking-up of a protest meeting in Dublin yesterday; if he will say who was responsible; and if, to avert further trouble in Ireland, he will order the immediate release of the prisoners?
§ Mr. GINNELLI have a question on the same subject, and perhaps I had better ask it now and let the Home Secretary reply to both questions.
§ Mr. SPEAKERIf that relates to the long question which the hon. Member has handed in, I have not had time to consider it.
§ Mr. GINNELLThat does not do away with its urgency.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member should have gone through the ordinary form of letting me see it before the House met.
§ Mr. GINNELLThere is no other way—
§ Mr. SPEAKERI was going to call upon the hon. Member to ask the other question he has handed in.
§ Mr. GINNELLI want to ask this one.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member had better hear the reply first.
§ Mr. GINNELLIt is vitally urgent. Will you allow me to read the question?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe rule of the House is that if any hon. Member has an urgent question which he wishes to ask, he should give it to me, so that I may see it.
§ Mr. GINNELLI have followed that rule.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member placed his question upon my Chair. It is a very long question, and I have not yet had time to read it, because I have been occupied with the other questions.
§ Mr. GINNELLOn a point of Order—
§ Mr. SPEAKERI will read it, and if I consider that it is urgent, I will allow the hon. Member to ask it to-morrow.
§ Mr. GINNELLThe Home Secretary has had the question since Saturday. I know of no other means—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is all the more reason why the hon. Member should have sent a copy of it to me.
§ Sir G. CAVEI have only had the shortest possible notice of the question put by the hon. Member for Dublin Harbour Division (Mr. Byrne). As to the last part of it, I can only say that I have no information. The answer to the earlier part of it, which would probably be an answer also to the question of the hon. Member for North-West Meath (Mr. Ginnell), is as follows:
§ The Irish prisoners were collected at Lewes and granted special privileges on the clear and definite condition of good conduct and obedience to rules. On the 28th May, on the professed ground that they wished to be treated as if they were prisoners of war, they were guilty of concerted refusal to work and disobedience to rules, and it became necessary to confine them to their cells. All the prisoners admitted the offences, which were committed openly. They were to be allowed to attend chapel on Sunday, 3rd June, but it was discovered that they proposed immediately after Mass and Holy Communion to refuse to enter their cells, and, if forced 597 to return, to wreck prison property. The service, therefore, was not held. When this attempt failed they refused to leave their cells for exercise unless all were taken out together. In these circumstances, no course was open to me but to direct that they should go back to the convict prisons (Maidstone, Parkhurst, and Portland), and be subject to the ordinary prison rules. Some of them have already been removed, with such precautions only as were necessary to prevent any violence or attempt to escape. I need hardly say that the suggestion that they were starved is absolutely without foundation.
§ Mr. BYRNEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the early days of the rebellion in Dublin these men were described in official papers as prisoners of war? Why have the Government changed their views now and subjected them to such blackguardly treatment?
§ Sir G. CAVEI know nothing of the statement to which the hon. Member refers. My only duty is to see that order is kept in the prison.