§ 20. Sir J. BUTCHERasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the nature of the Irish records which were saved from destruction in the Four Courts; whether some of these records are of the nature of public and State documents and are the property of the British Government; and whether, in view of the importance of preserving these public and State documents from possible destruction and of rendering them available for historical and political students, he will have them brought over to the Record Office in London and lodged there for safe custody?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREIt would be impossible within the limits of a Parliamentary reply to answer the first part of the question, and I doubt whether in fact the remaining records have yet been completely examined or catalogued. As regards the remainder of the question, I can add nothing to the answer which I gave to questions on this subject on the 5th and 9th instant.
§ Sir J. BUTCHERWill my hon. Friend take steps to see that the remaining records are catalogued, and also, as regards such documents as are of a public and State character, that they are handed over to the British Government, whose property they are?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI am afraid that, according to my advice, I have to dispute the statement in the last part of the supplementary question. As I said last week, under the Order-in-Council of April, 1922, the whole Public Record Office and its contents were handed over and they are no longer the property of the British Government. I understand that the cataloguing is now in progress.
§ Sir J. BUTCHERIs it possible to hand over the property of the British Government to another State?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREIt was done by an Order-in-Council of April, 1922.
§ Sir HENRY CRAIKIs such an Order-in-Council not prevented?