§ Rev. Ian Paisley (Antrim, North)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the refusal of the Northern Ireland Office to permit William Calvert out on parole from prison to attend his father's funeral.The matter is specific and important. This prisoner has almost finished serving his sentence. Next month he will be out on parole. Unfortunately for him and his family, his father died very suddenly. An application was made to the Northern Ireland Office for parole so that he could attend his father's funeral. The Northern Ireland Office sat on that application and did not take a decision until this morning, although the funeral is to take place this afternoon.
It is terrible that the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Mailing (Mr. Stanley), who is seldom in the Province of Northern Ireland, who is obsessed with his own safety when he is in Nothern Ireland and who has no concern, on humanitarian grounds, for a sorrowing family, did not have the decency to inform the family yesterday that young Calvert would not be released. I fail to understand why a prisoner who is to be paroled next month is not to be allowed out of prison to attend his father's funeral.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member for Antrim, North (Rev. Ian Paisley) seeks leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration, namely,
the refusal of the Northern Ireland Office to permit William Calvert out on parole from prison to attend his father's funeral.I have listened with concern to what the hon. Member has said, but he well knows that I have to decide whether applications under Standing Order No. 20 should take precedence over the orders set down for today or tomorrow. I regret that I do not find that his application meets the criteria under Standing Order No. 20. I cannot therefore submit his application to the House.