asked the President if his attention has been called to the attack upon Bernard Mallon, of Ballinderry Bridge, Co. Tyrone, on Sunday, 4th May last, when a gang of masked men raided his home looking for his two sons, recently demobilised from the National Army, and, failing to find the sons, brutally maltreated the father to such an extent that his life is in danger; whether Bernard Mallon was at the time of this raid just recovering from the effects of a similar attack twelve months ago, and whether he has made, or proposes to make, representations to the Government of Northern Ireland to secure a cessation of such attacks.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - ATTACK ON TYRONE EX-SOLDIER.
SEAN MAC GIOLLA 'N RIOGH
The answer to, the first part of the question is in the affirmative; as regards the second part, the only information at my disposal is that contained in the report which appeared in the "Irish News and Belfast Morning News" of Wednesday, 7th May, which states:—"About 3 o'clock on Sunday morning, 4th May, knocking was heard at the door of the house of Bernard Mallon, of Ballinderry Bridge, and, in reply to queries, a voice answered: ‘The Sergeant.' Admittance was refused, and threatening and insulting language was used, and several shots fired through the door. After some time the door which had been barricaded on the inside was burst in, and the raiders entered, demanding that the old man would tell them of the whereabouts of his two sons. As he was unable to comply with their requests, the raiders beat the unfortunate man, who is over eighty years of age, most unmercifully. Having searched and ransacked the house, they left, vowing that they would yet get the two young Mallons.
This is the forty-seventh raid on Mallon's house in the last four years, the last occasion being about a year ago, when the raiders almost killed him. The cause of the raid is attributable to the fact that the young Mallons have only recently been demobilised from the National Army."
In reply to the third part of the question, I have to say that representations to other Governments on matters of the kind in question are not served by public pronouncements to that effect.
I would like to ask the President, in view of his statement that the Six County area had reverted to the jurisdiction of the Saorstát, and that in consequence the residents of that area are citizens of the Saorstát, and entitled to the protection of the Saorstát, whether the Government have considered taking the necessary steps to afford such protection to these citizens of the Saorstát?
The answer to the third part of the question is not affected by the constitutional point raised by the Deputy.