§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that, owing to the hour for mass on Sundays in Dartmoor Prison being 10.30 a.m. and many of the Irish political prisoners there being frequent communicants who must attend fasting, they under present arrangements get no food from five o'clock on Saturday till noon on Sunday, the breakfast being forfeited and the men compelled to take exercise when unable from hunger; whether he will arrange for either a late supper on Saturday or an early religious service on Sunday followed by breakfast; whether he is aware that the only time any of those prisoners are allowed to consult a doctor is at the dinner hour, and that if the doctor is consulted the dinner is forfeited; whether the prison doctor sanctions patients being thus penalised for consulting him; and whether he will have the arrangements so adjusted that these men may consult the doctor without losing their principal meal?
§ Sir G. CAVEThe hon. Member has been misinformed. The hour for the Roman Catholic service on Sundays at Dartmoor is 9.15 a.m., and breakfasts are served immediately after the service; prisoners take their exercise between breakfast and dinner. The medical officer attends daily at "Cease labour" to interview applicants, and prisoners after the interviews get back to their hall in time for dinner. No prisoner forfeits his dinner on account of his having consulted the medical officer.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the eyes of several of the Irish political prisoners in Dartmoor Prison are suffering from being compelled to work in an unlighted workshop in the early morning and late evening, one of them having been forced to wear coloured glasses; and, in order to prevent permanent injury to their eyes, whether he will arrange to have work done in reasonable light?
§ Sir G. CAVEThe hon. Member has been misinformed. None of the prisoners mentioned in the question has been compelled to work in an insufficiently lighted workshop at any time of the day, or has ever worn coloured glasses at labour, or is suffering from any eye trouble due to such a cause as is indicated in the question.
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§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Home Secretary whether he has since satisfied himself on the point on which he expressed doubt on 22nd August whether in France a complete distinction was made between political prisoners, not convicted of or charged with anything involving moral turpitude, and ordinary criminals; whether the Government have considered the advisability of following the French example by releasing all the Irish political prisoners now detained in this country; and, if not, whether those not convicted of bearing arms will be released and any convicted of bearing arms treated henceforward as political prisoners, their offence having been purely political?
§ Sir G. CAVEI am informed that in some respects a distinction is drawn in France between political and other prisoners as regards treatment, but I have no information that the French Government have released any political prisoners. With regard to the remainder of the question, I must refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 22nd August.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked whether the Irish political prisoners at Maidstone are mixed with ordinary criminals there; and, if so, for what reason?
§ Sir G. CAVEI would refer the hon. Member to the answer which my predecessor gave to the hon. Member for West Limerick on the 23rd ultimo.