§ 65 Mr. GINNELLasked (1) the Chief Secretary for Ireland, having regard to the number and character of Mr. J. J. O'Kelly's engagements, and the esteem in which he is held by the leading men in the ecclesiastical, literary, professional, business, and political life of Ireland, whether he believes the unnamed informer at whose instance that gentleman has been deported without charge or trial for unspecified offences for which one so occupied could have neither time nor inclination; if so, will he specify one act or circumstance in Mr. O'Kelly's whole life giving colour to the informer's allegations, whatever they are; and will he institute the most searching form of trial he pleases to test the issue between informer and victim in this case; (2) whether the arrest and deportation of Mr. J. J. O'Kelly, without charge or trial, was because he is secretary of the Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language, a purely literary body, which has been publishing an annual volume of Irish literature and has undertaken a scheme for writing the whole history of Ireland in modern Irish based on the baronial divisions; whether the material for the annual report of this society, taken from Mr. O'Kelly's house by the military last May, will now be returned to him and (3) whether the arrest and deportation of Mr. J. J. O'Kelly, without charge or trial, was because he is vice-president of the Gaelic League, and a member of and constant attendant on its four most active sub-committees, namely, the Oireachtas committee, which holds an annual festival extending over a week, and is devoted to the revival of the language, literature, social customs, 30 songs, stories, music, art, pastimes, and industries of Ireland; the finance committee, the publications committee, and the committee charged with education and organisation; and whether all these activities are now held to be illegal?
§ Mr. DUKEI must refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to his question on the 14th March.
§ Mr. GINNELLWhich of these activities, if any, are illegal, and for which of them is this gentleman deported without charge or trial?
§ Mr. DUKEI did not express the opinion that any activity is illegal, and I have not suggested that the gentleman named has been deported in respect of any of the matters which are mentioned—quite the contrary.
§ Mr. GINNELLWill the right hon. Gentleman answer the part of the question asking how it is possible for a man engaged in all these activities to be at the same time a breaker of the law?
§ Mr. SPEAKERcalled on Mr. Devlin.
§ Mr. GINNELLOn a point of Order, Sir. There are three questions of mine.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI understood that 69 and 70 were postponed.
§ Mr. SPEAKERSeverity-one is the ninth question on the Paper.
§ Mr. GINNELLI have asked only seven.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe other two are postponed.