§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the arrest by the military at Ballybofey, county Donegal, on the night of 27th-28th April of the following men: Joseph Bell, Patrick Conway, Charles Doherty, Francis Kelly, Hugh, M'Lean, James M'Gowan, and Mick Magee, and to the fact that no charge was made against them; whether his attention has been called to the events which took place on the night of 25th December, 1920, when the military broke all the windows of the Catholic residents in the towns of Drumboe and Ballybofey; and will he explain why motor-car permits are not granted to Catholics by the authorities, though the prevailing political belief of these people is constitutional nationalism?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODMy attention has been called to the cases of the seven men referred to in the first part of the question. They were arrested with a view to their internment and internment orders are being made against them under the Restoration of Order in Ireland Regulation, No. 14 B. As regards the second part of the question: On the night of the 25th December, an unarmed soldier was assaulted in the streets of Ballybofey by a number of civilians with the result that a certain amount of fighting between other unarmed soldiers and civilians occurred, in the course of which windows were broken in eight houses, not all of which belonged to Roman Catholic residents. Drumboe is not a town, but a private residence near Ballybofey. It has been occupied by troops since November last. There is no foundation for the insinuation in the last part of the question that the grant or refusal of motor permits is affected by the religious belief of the applicant.