§ 49. Mr. HARDIEasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware 1710 that Ewan Maclennan and Neil Macdonald have again be re-arrested and sent to Inverness prison; and why the arrests were made, in view of their previous liberation?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The arrests were made on a warrant issued by the Sheriff Substitute at Lochmaddy in obedience to a remit contained in an Interlocutor of the Court of Session dismissing an appeal by the men referred to.
§ Mr. HARDIEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the warrant issued on 27th March, when they re-arrested these men, does not state what time is to be served nor who is to decide what time is to be served, and since the original date of the expiration of the term was at first contained in the sentence of the 14th June last, who is to say what term they are to serve now and who is the deciding factor in that matter, which is not contained in the warrant?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe answer is that they will serve the period which is un-expired.
§ Mr. STEPHENDoes the right hon. Gentleman not think that now that this decision has been come to it would be advisable, before the General Election, that he should extend clemency to these two men and release them, in view of the fact that there will be another Government after the election?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThis is not a matter over which I or my office has any jurisdiction.
§ Mr. HARDIECan the right hon. Gentleman give any precedent, where liberation has taken place and such an amount of time has elapsed between liberation and re-arrest, of a re-arrest without giving the reasons for it?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONCan the right hon. Gentleman state how long they have served, and what is the sentence?
§ Sir J. GILMOURNo, I cannot without notice.