§ Mr. PATRICK O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to the number of attacks on property which have taken place in the Dungannon district recently; whether he is aware that on Sunday evening, 10th May, a dwelling house, situated about 400 yards distant from the Catholic Church in Dungannon, was wrecked, the gates of the Dungannon Catholic Academy taken off and destroyed, and an unoccupied dwelling house set fire to and burned; and that on the 14th May another dwelling house was destroyed; whether claims for compensation have been lodged in these cases; whether the lives of Catholics in this district are in danger, and their persons liable to assault and to be shot at by Orange gangs; whether any arrests have been made; and what steps, if any, the local police are taking to bring the perpetrators to justice and to afford due protection to Catholics in the district?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Inspector-General informs me that at Dungannon, on Sunday, 7th May, some windows were broken in a dwelling house, a small wooden gate at one of the entrances of St. Patrick's Academy was wrenched off its hinges, and an unoccupied labourer's cottage with a thatched roof was set on fire and destroyed. On the night of 13th May another unoccupied house was burnt down. Claims for compensation have been lodged in the case of both of these houses. The owners belonged to different religions, and the destruction of their property cannot be attributed to party motives. There is no reason to believe that any of the inhabitants are in danger, and the police authorities inform me that the feeling between Catholics and Protestants in the town was never better than at present. Every effort has been made to discover the culprits, but so far without success.