§ Whereupon Mr. SPEAKER, pursuant to the Order of the House of 19th October, proposed the Question, "That this House do now adjourn."
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYI should like to ask the Home Secretary a question with regard to a telegram from the wife and sister of the Lord Mayor of Cork. They ask me to bring to the notice of the Home Secretary the fact that the prisoner has been threatened with forcible feeding with lime juice by Doctor Griffiths, who apparently is the prison doctor. I should like to ask whether that is a fact, and whether it is 1041 intended to feed him forcibly after 70 days' hunger striking, and also whether it is a fact that the prison doctor reported, after he had been hunger-striking for 10 days, that it would be dangerous to feed him forcibly? I think we should have information about this matter, and if the Government maintain their policy I hope we shall be told whether it is intended forcibly to feed the prisoner after all these days of hunger-striking?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Shortt)My hon. and gallant Friend told me about half a minute ago that he intended to raise this point, and, of course, I have not been able to communicate with the prison authorities or to obtain any information whatever for the House. I can only say in perfectly general terms that the doctors will do, as they have done consistently, what they consider to be the best in the prisoner's interest. Their business is to try to keep him 1042 alive. They have done everything possible. He has had every possible consideration and care, and the best of nursing and everything has been done for him; but eat he will not. If the doctors think lime-juice would case him, help him to live, and give him another chance of seeing sense, they will be perfectly justified in trying to persuade him to take it, and, indeed, if necessary, in forcing it upon him. Whether they are doing so or not I have not had an opportunity of ascertaining. I know that he has taken certain light medicines, like Eno's Fruit Salt from time to time, but whether he has taken lime-juice or not I have not had an opportunity of asking. I am satisfied that whatever the doctors have been doing has been done from a sense of pure mercy and consideration, and in what they consider to be the best possible interests of the prisoner himself.
§ Question put, and agreed to,
§ Adjourned accordingly at Nine minutes after Eleven o'clock.