§ 69. Mr. DEVLINasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to a raid carried out on Friday last, 17th June, by the Ulster special police; whether he is aware that the 1531 houses of practically all the Catholics in Ballymena were raided, the system being to place in each house at about 4 o'clock a.m. two or three special constables who, in most cases, separated the men and women in different rooms and kept them there until an officer arrived to carry out a search, which meant that in many cases people were kept in this position from 4 o'clock up to 9 or 10 o'clock; that in most cases the special constables adopted a very aggresive and provocative attitude; that in the case of one leading merchant the officer in charge took the keys from the assistant manager at his residence and, accompanied by two constables, entered the business premises, which contained valuable goods and securities, and remained there for almost a half hour without informing the owner that any raid was intended and unaccompanied by any representative of the owner; that in the case of a local hotel special constables who were not accompanied by an officer burst in the door and went through the hotel holding up every one in the house at the point of the revolver, and entered the room of an old lady about 80 years of age, a confirmed invalid, and ordered her to get out of bed; whether he can state who was responsible for this raid and for what purpose it was carried out; whether the instructions issued by the Government are that the district inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary, as executive officer for the district, should be consulted prior to such raids; whether the district inspector in Ballymena was consulted about this raid; whether there has been a clear breach of discipline; and whether he will cause a full and searching inquiry to be made into the matter with a view to ascertaining who were the parties responsible for this attack on the liberties and rights of the Catholic population of Ballymena?
§ Mr. HENRYI am having inquiry made into these allegations. I have had very short notice of the question, and shall be glad if the hon. Member will postpone it to a later date.