§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reason the Public Record Office retained original documents written by those court-martialled following the Dublin uprising in 1916. [162318]
§ Mr. LeslieThe Judge Advocate General's office, which organised these courts martial, formed part of the British administration in Ireland. It took the original decision to preserve documents written by the defendants in these cases on the grounds that they formed an integral part of the court proceedings. It was subsequently decided that the court records as a whole merited permanent preservation because of their historical importance.
The documents are available for public inspection at the National Archives at Kew, and copies can be supplied.
Information is held on the National Archives' electronic catalogue, and can be accessed on the internet at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.