To ask the President whether he is aware that orders were issued to the Dublin newspapers that the evidence given at the Coroner's inquiry into the death of Patrick Mannion, at Mount Street, Dublin, on September 17th, should not be published? Will he say by whose authority these orders were issued, and whether in view of the fact that the censorship is no longer in operation, he will say when the Press will be permitted to publish a full report of the inquest referred to?
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. - ORDERS TO NEWSPAPERS.
The censorship has not been abolished. Papers may not publish matter which is against the public interest. Any matter about which newspapers are doubtful may be submitted to the military censor. One newspaper submitted a report of the proceedings of a Coroner's Inquiry into the Mannion case, but as this report contained misleading statements which were not refuted at the inquiry owing to the fact that the military witnesses arrived only when the inquiry had closed, the Censor directed the Press to publish a summarised version until such time as the full facts could be published along with the misleading evidence at the inquiry.
To ask the Minister for Defence whether his attention has been called to the following statements in an editorial in the Irish Times of September 21st, viz.: “(1) It appears, however, that a sort of censorship, which we know not whether to describe as military or civil, still exists; (2) The newspapers have been ordered on several occasions during the past fortnight to omit passages from reports which their staffs had prepared in the ordinary way; (3) One of these reports concerned the alleged treatment of Republican prisoners; (4) Another contained the evidence and verdict at an inquest in Dublin”; whether there is any truth in the allegations marked (1), (2), (3), (4); if so, by whom, with what authority, and for what purpose were these orders given; and what, in fact, were the statements suppressed?
Owing to the absence of the Minister this was postponed until Tuesday, 26th September.
Have you seen question No. 8?
I have a second question down here.